“The witch had a cat
and a very tall hat,
And long ginger hair
which she wore in a plait.
How the cat purred
and how the witch grinned,
As they sat on their broomstick
and flew through the wind.”

I now know that there are loads of Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler books and that this one is probably not the most well-known, but when we first read this one I didn’t know any of that. All I knew was that I really loved this book. The fast pace and rhyming are really catchy. I also really enjoyed the slight repetition as I felt like I could join in after only a couple of readings.

” “Yes!” cried the witch,
so the bird fluttered on.
The witch tapped the broomstick and
whoosh! they were gone. “

This was also my first introduction to Axel Scheffler’s illustrations. I love how the animals almost have human faces but not quite. There is also a great mix of full scene illustrations and narrative illustrations. We had this book out from the library for so long that we ended up buying it and I’m pretty sure that before my boy is old enough to talk I will have it memorised.

I think it’s safe to say this is the first of many Donaldson/Scheffler books that I will post here.

(all illustrations and quotes are from Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, first published 2001 Macmillan Children’s Books)