Published  by Oxford University Press

Publication date – 20 October 2022

Source – review copy

Winnie shares her big black house with Wilbur her big black cat. So sometimes she accidentally trips over him. Ouch! After some spells that make Wilbur look very silly, Winnie finds just the right magic to make sure she can always see him. It’s a colourful Winnie and Wilbur adventure! 

Winne the Witch has been a staple for young readers for many years. 35 in fact. So now the children who discovered their adventures all those years ago will be re-discovering them with they kids.

Winnie makes a series of unfortunate spells, which mean that poor Wilbur, her black as black can be cat, begins to turn into a variety of different colours. Winnie is fed up of stepping on Wilbur, tripping over Wilbur or sitting on a sleeping Wilbur. Because as well as Wilbur being black so is Winnie’s house. And furniture. And carpet. The trouble is, she keeps turning him into colours which match his surroundings so Winnie still trips over him and loses him here, there and everywhere.

The illustrations perfectly match Winnie’s attempts to make Wilbur stand out, with Wilbur’s face each time a particular delight. The pictures have so much detail that Winnie’s house comes to life. There is much to find in them as there is in the story.

Winne the Witch has been a staple for young readers for many years. 35 in fact. So now the children who discovered their adventures all those years ago will be re-discovering them with they kids. And with another 45 books in the collection, there are lots more stories to fall in love with.

This is a beautiful special edition to celebrate the 35th anniversary of a wonderful addition to children’s literature. As well as the fabulous original illustrations to match the story, there are sketches from Korky Paul’s studio, a gallery of Winnie and Wilbur memories and new forewords from Valerie Thomas and Korky Paul.

Here’s to 35 more years of being discovered and loved by children and adults alike.

(luckily my cats don’t vanish into the decor).