Rating: 10 of 10 stars
This is the ultimate October book for second grade students. Since at our school they have already heard Jumanji and The Garden of Abdul Gasazi in first grade, they greet this book with excitement. Because of that prior exposure, they cast a knowledgeable eye on Van Allsburg's work: they begin looking for visual quotes from his other books--the black-eyed dog, the goose, the sailboat and others. But then that focus falls away and they are, pardon me, swept up by the story.
Van Allsburg introduces the tale by pointing out that witches' brooms eventually wear out. Widow Minna Shaw finds such a discarded broom in her vegetable garden and, practical at heart, brings it into her house as a back-up for the one she already has.
And then one day, she discovers it sweeping her floor. After all, it still is a broom at heart. Seizing the opportunity for assistance, she trains it to help with her chores.
Unfortunately her helper is noticed by a neighbor and is denounced as a thing of evil. They demand it be burned as something from the devil.
At the denouement, the class cheered and applauded. One child even fell over sideways in the throes of excitement. Yes! Could a librarian ask for more: a completely overcome audience? Libraries everywhere benefit from the reputation such marvelous stories confer upon them.
Usual borrowers: Kindergarten through third grade
Genres: Picture books, Fantasy
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