Hannah Cole

When her grandpa procures tickets for a local theater production of Hansel & Gretel, Angela insists on taking her beloved teddy bear Fergus with her to the performance. It is her first time at the theater, and even her sister Carole's constant instructions about how to behave cannot ruin the magic of the experience - the pathos of Hansel and Gretel's experiences, the terror of the green witch. But then Angela drops Fergus from the balcony where she is sitting, into the audience below, and her enjoyment is ruined. Her grandpa goes to find Fergus, only to get called up onto the stage by the witch...

Divided into five sections, The Pantomime Witch, although rather text-heavy for a picture-book, pairs an engaging story about a child's first experience at the theater with lovely, expressive artwork. I appreciated the way that author Hannah Cole captured the young child's perspective here - how Angela both understands that it is a performance, yet somehow still feels that the magic is real. The artwork from D.S. Aldridge, who made her children's book debut here, depicts the magic of Angela's experiences in a charming way. I particularly liked her depiction of the witch, who looks both creepy and beautiful. Although this isn't quite what I expected - I tracked it down through inter-library loan because I am interested in the depiction of witches in children's books - I nevertheless found this British picture-book delightful.… (meer)