THE WITCHING HOUR

“Anything can happen in the witching hour,” as one family learns while soothing their disgruntled baby.

This cozy picture book opens with a lush woodland spread depicting a home carved into a large tree. Inside, two parents (both long-haired, clad in skirts, and wearing acorns or flower petals as hats) and their little ones sit at a table. When the sun sets, it’s time for the witching hour. The world goes “topsy-turvy,” and anything is possible. After the baby spills a bottle on the table and cries with increasing volume, the family tries different ways of consoling the youngster, from swaying on a levitating broomstick to creating a magical parade of floating toys. Adults and older siblings will delight in the familiar, non-magical soothing tactics the characters try as well, such as bathing the child and offering snacks and favorite stuffed animals. Though a woodpecker’s “knock at the door” starts the baby crying again, and the parents’ faces begin looking more and more tired, sleep finally arrives. “The witching hour is over.” Each scene looks awash with magic, with detailed strokes created on vibrant backgrounds. Together, the art and the delightfully alliterative text result in a tale that’s both mystical and intimate. One parent is brown-skinned, while the other is light-skinned; the children are tan-skinned.

A bewitching bedtime story sure to charm the whole family.