The Widow's Broom Review
I did indeed love this one. The art work, per usual, for this author, was absolutely perfect. It is the type of work that can appeal to children as well as adults (I'm well into my sixties, and I enjoyed it...of course I have a lot of little boy in me still). As to the narrative, I did feel this was one of the author's better works. Allsburg is certainly a teller of good stories. I have observed this work being read to the children at our local library and it is one of their favorites. Again, the art work is almost magical, quite detailed and rather amazing to view. Recommend this one highly.
The Widow's Broom Feature
- ISBN13: 9780395640517
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
The Widow's Broom Overview
A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.
The Widow's Broom Specifications
"Witches' brooms don't last forever. They grow old, and even the best of them, one day, lose the power of flight.... On very rare occasions, however, a broom can lose its power without warning, and fall, with its passenger, to the earth below ... which is just what happened one cold autumn night many years ago." So begins The Widow's Broom, the gentle, strangely captivating book by Chris Van Allsburg, who received Caldecott medals for Jumanji and The Polar Express.
The story gets under way when the lonely widow Minna Shaw finds a wounded, sky-fallen witch in her vegetable garden. The witch disappears before dawn, but leaves her old, presumably defunct broom behind. Minna begins to use it around the house and finds that "it was no better or worse than brooms she'd used before." However, one morning, Minna sees the broom sweeping by itself! Opportunistically, she trains it to chop wood and fetch water.
When the neighbors find out about this "wicked, wicked thing" (posing as an innocent, hardworking broom), they accost the widow and demand that the broom be burned. Are they successful in separating the lonely widow and her diligently sweeping friend? This is a wonderfully suspenseful book to read aloud and young listeners will earnestly hope for the broom's survival. Still, older, wiser readers, ages 8 and older, will be swept up in the story, too.
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Customer Reviews
Supernatural fair play - Bernadine Kelvy - Australia
Chris van Allsburg has a way with illustrations and text that remains understated and very classy. Words are used economically and the black and white illustrations support and add visually to the story. A witches broom fails, crashing with the witch into a widow's yard. The widow allows the witch to heal herself, and the witch leaves her supposedly "dead" broom with the widow when she departs. The rest of the story highlights the narrow mindedness of people who fear what they don't understand and how clever thinking proves (again) that might is not right.
Witch's Broom - Lee A. Cheadle - Pocahontas, AR.
Excellent book, It provides a new twist for a good Halloween story to share.
The Widow' Broom - Barbara Ann Clarcq - USA
I read this book to a fourth grade class in New Hampshire plus read it to four grandchildren. It was a hit! They loved it and I loved reading it to them. Of course I read it in the classroom on Halloween and wore a witch's costume and carried a broom similar to the one in the picture!
Great Story - Heidi - New Mexico
A widow obtains an old witch's broom it still has some magic in it. The neighbors are not very accommodating but the Widow is crafty. My 8 year old son really enjoyed this book. It would also be good for Halloween reading. It is recommended for ages 5-7 years.
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