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Scritch! Scratch!written by Teri Sloat and illustrated by Zuzana Cupova
published by Random House for Children. • Kirkus Review |
Halloween perfection for kids who want a good scare... and the relief that comes from knowing that |
Reviews
“This story is beautifully conceived and executed, with enticing, unpredictable rhymes throughout. Cupova's ink-and-watercolor art relies on black-and-white chiaroscuro to terrific dramatic effect; the book's only color comes in the form of tomato-red bursts reserved for things like the moon, spiders legs, and the eyes of a cat that was—well, what do you know?—the cause of the scritch-scratching the whole time. (Probably.)" -Kirkus |
About the Book
In this gentle creepfest, three kids take shelter as they attempt to escape a witch...or are they just
imagining her?
"Scritch! Scratch! / What was that? / The witch! / She's in the pumpkin patch. "Three pale-skinned
youngsters, one of whom supplies narration, run inside their house, where there are no adults in sight
and the frights continue, because there's that noise again: "Scritch! Scratch!" On goes the torment—or
is it imaginary? At one point, the witch casts a spell that turns our shoes to glue, / a spell that makes it
hard to move." After much agonizing and hiding, the kids finally believe they are safe: They look outside
and spot the witch "riding on her brambly broom, / she's soaring high across the moon." But wait: Now
what's scritch-scratching outside the door?
In this gentle creepfest, three kids take shelter as they attempt to escape a witch...or are they just
imagining her?
"Scritch! Scratch! / What was that? / The witch! / She's in the pumpkin patch. "Three pale-skinned
youngsters, one of whom supplies narration, run inside their house, where there are no adults in sight
and the frights continue, because there's that noise again: "Scritch! Scratch!" On goes the torment—or
is it imaginary? At one point, the witch casts a spell that turns our shoes to glue, / a spell that makes it
hard to move." After much agonizing and hiding, the kids finally believe they are safe: They look outside
and spot the witch "riding on her brambly broom, / she's soaring high across the moon." But wait: Now
what's scritch-scratching outside the door?