The Garden Witch
by Kyle Beaudette

5 out of 5 stars

The Garden Witch is lonely. She only has three mean rats for company. They are so rude and horrible to her all the time, but she doesn’t have the courage to stand up to them. The magical garden hears the witch crying and decides to grow something new to help her – a magical turnip boy! Mickey Turnips is kind and helpful. He cooks and cleans and does the dishes. He helps the Garden Witch to sell her potions to the townsfolk. The rats hate him. They want to boil him up in a turnip stew. But the Garden Witch is now full of confidence and courage, inspired by Mickey Turnips. Those rats won’t get away with their rudeness again!

This story is so hilarious and fun! I love the ugly old witch, poor sweet thing that she is! I loved that just a little bit of kindness inspires her to value herself and be strong. My favorite scene is when she comes home from selling her potions at the market and she is wearing sunglasses with a big wad of cash in her hand. That literally made me laugh out loud!

The artwork is delightful! Every scene is so imaginative with little details in the background that make this book really special. My favorite background detail was the vial of “bee barf” for the witch’s potions. Haha! I like that the artwork shows that just because the witch is ugly and old, that does not make her an unsympathetic character. The story really makes you love her, and the illustrations showcase that true beauty comes from within.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.