Donaldson, Julia. (2001). Room on the Broom. Dial Books for Young Readers.
*Downloadable activity sheets at the bottom of this post!
We have a pretty accident prone, but nice, witch, flying along with her cat on her broom. But she keeps losing things! Her hat, her bow, her wand. Each time something flies off, she lands her broom and an animal friend brings her the lost item and asks if there is room for them on the broom. OF COURSE! She says and away they go.
But when the frog jumped, after joining this eccentric group, the broom stick broke into two pieces, and down went the animals into the muddy bog, while the witch, still flying on the front part of the broom, encountered a dragon who threatened to eat her! She tried to call for help but none was coming.
But just as that naughty dragon was about to have witch stew, a crazy looking monster came out of the bog and said “HEY, THAT’S OUR WITCH!” and the dragon was so terrified he put the witch down.
The witch was so grateful that she had each new friend put an item into her cauldron as she started a new spell and voila! A new deluxe broom was born, with seats for all of her rescuers. And off they went.
This one warms my heart. I love a story where folks are helping each other out and the witch gets a happy ending. There’s lots more to see in-between the plot points above, and Axel Scheffler’s illustrations are so loveable. This is a great any time story to share with the littles, not just at Halloween. But it definitely hits just right, for an October night, too. 😉
Recommended Ages: 3-6