MOULDYLOCKS

A surprise birthday party for Mouldylocks the young witch deteriorates into amusing, wizardly warfare when her three adult hosts take to cheating at the games. Mouldylocks’s presents—a bat-in-a-box, talking boots (“Left!” chirps the right one; “Right!” responds the left), and a pop-up book of spells—come in handy after Crabby Ann, Wizard Twittle, and Mama Kano turn each other into small, icky creatures; using bat spit and other unsavory ingredients, she whips up an undoing spell, getting an enormous birthday cake as reward. Lodge’s illustrations have the look of woodcuts, with thick lines and evenly applied color; Mouldylocks, curly hair wriggling beneath pointed black hat like spinach linguini, makes an earnest foil for her mercurial friends. (Picture book. 5-7)