WOOSHI WITCH GROWS A GARDEN

In Yun’s picture book, Wooshi the Witch seeks to create a new form of magic in the sky.

Wooshi the Witch has lived in the sky since the beginning of the world. Other witches are known to manipulate animals, plants, or emotions, but Wooshi is unique because she casts magic with clouds. Everything she builds is cloud-white until she’s inspired by the flowers on Earth to introduce color into her work. When her attempt to cultivate flowers results in a cloudburst that turns her clouds to dust, Wooshi shuts herself away for thousands of years to perfect her magic. One day, she throws her hands up in defeat and sweeps all her dust down to the ground. It’s then that she discovers that she’s had the ability to brighten up the world all along—just in a way she’s never imagined. “I chased tricky spells for thousands of years, and all I needed is the sun’s cozy embrace and the little joys that make life sparkle!” Yun’s sweet narrative maintains a tenuous connection between everyday marvels and Wooshi’s inability to grow her flower seeds, although Tuzi’s illustrations, rich with the movement of Wooshi’s dust swirling around, are enough to carry readers away into the fantastical world this unconventional witch inhabits.

A modern fairy tale imported from China that upends the traditional portrayal of witches.