Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show
For starters, I have a love-hate relationship with all things witchy. Forty-Four years ago, I was a painfully shy little 8-year-old girl facing a tremendous dilemma--- I was cast in the role of Maleficent in my 3rd grade class production of the Walt Disney Classic- Sleeping Beauty.
I was beyond myself with fear- why, oh why, couldn't I get to be a princess and wear the pretty pink dress with the sparkly crown and smile my way into the hearts of everyone who would be watching! Instead, the very idea of being placed into a long, black cape dress complete with pointy witch hat, and painted witchy marks on my face left me filled with anxiety and trepidation. My teacher, Mrs. Flora McCarthy, as I soon realized as I grew older, knew something about casting this awkward, introverted little girl as the heavy that I didn't at that time. This was her way to help guide and bring me out of my shell. She saw something in this little girl that needed a gentle yet steady guide to let her confidence grow. That even an ordinary little girl had something in her that was spectacular after all. With Mrs. McCarthy's gentle assistance, this ordinary girl tapped into something that even she was astonished she could do. Which is why I was drawn to Diana Murray's delightful tale, Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show.
As our tale begins, while swooshing around Cobweb Town, little Grimelda comes across a flier advertising an upcoming Spooktacular Pet Show posted on a tree. She immediately thinks that her cat, Wizzlewarts, would be her ticket to winning first place! But when she sees her friend Hildegard flying around on her pet dragon, Grimelda worries that the, well ordinary Wizzlewarts won't be as spooktacular as the other pets. So, naturally, just as any good witch would do, she seeks out her trusty spellbook to find that just right spell to turn Wizzlewarts into a first prize winner. But, to her astonishment, she cannot find the book! Grimelda flies over to the general store, but they're sold out of their stock of spell books. She then decides that she must find a new pet, but just when you think her search is futile, Grimelda comes across a monster eel in a foggy, spookily dark bog. Will this eel be Grimelda's ticket to winning first prize? Or will he turn out to be more than she can handle and make an even bigger mess for her? And will ordinary Wizzlewarts the cat turn out to be extraordinarily spooktacular after all?
This adorable follow up to author Diana Murray's Grimelda, The Very Messy Witch, published in 2016, is told not only in rhyming verses but with playful wordplay, which makes this a perfect read aloud with your little ones. Heather Ross' whimsical illustrations complement this engaging story.
Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show
Written by Diana Murray & Illustrated by Heather Ross
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers (2017)
For ages 4 to 8
Retails for $16.99 (Hardcover)
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