Product Description

A widow finds herself in possession of an extraordinary broom left by a witch who fell into the widow's garden.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #46016 in Books
• Published on: 1992-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

Amazon.com
"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.

From Publishers Weekly
When Minna Shaw comes into possession of a witch's broom, it is as if good fortune itself has dropped from the sky. The broom sweeps on its own and does other chores; it can even pick out simple tunes on the piano. The widow's ignorant neighbors hate and torment the implement, though, fearing what they cannot understand; but in the end the widow and her broom triumph. This resonant tale, one of its gifted author/illustrator's most impressive efforts, effectively draws on mystery and whimsy alike--both human nature and the supernatural are powerful forces here. Van Allsburg's grainy, sepiatone illustrations variously evoke brooding, suspicion, grandeur, humor and serenity. Many individual pictures are haunting--amid a tangle of squash vines, for example, lies the fallen witch, with only one of her hands visible--and in composite they reverberate powerfully indeed. The narrative's subtle conclusion will evoke pleasurable shudders, as readers (gradually, perhaps) become aware of what has transpired. Both visually and narratively, a provocative and altogether satisfying work. All ages.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 5-- This story combines trickery and magic with witches, brooms, an old widow, and her jealous neighbors. A witch leaves her errant broom in Minna Shaw's garden and, true to its nature, it sweeps and sweeps and sweeps until the woman in desperation, teaches it to chop wood, fetch water, bring the cow from the pasture, feed the chickens, and even to play the piano. All runs smoothly until the Spiveys who live down the road discover this wonderful object and insist it must be evil. After an encounter with the Spivey children in which the broom punishes them for their misbehavior, the enraged father comes to seize the offender and destroy it. But the widow outsmarts the man, and she and her broom live happily ever after. The sepia toned pencil illustrations have a grainy quality that gives the sense of moody mystery while adding texture and detail to the tangibles of village life. The positioning of figures, the sweep of lines, and the angles and tones used to capture characters and events have a haunting sense reminiscent of Van Allsburg's early work. He does not overemphasize the message that the special powers of the unknown need not be evil; rather a delicious humor is subtly portrayed through both text and art. This story leaves readers and listeners with the satisfaction of a well-told tale and, although not strictly for Halloween, may turn out to be as much a part of that holiday as Polar Express (Houghton, 1985) is of Christmas. --Kay E. Vandergrift, School of Communication, Information and Library Studies, Rutgers Univ . , New Brunswick, NJ
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Great Story
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.

Great story for kids!
I am 7 years old and my mom and I read this together.
This is a story about a broom that still has magic left in it. My favorite part of the story is how the lady tricks the neighbor into thinking that the broom they killed was a ghost!

SOME OF THE AUTHOR'S BEST WORK
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.