Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

Once Upon a Witch's Broom is a wonderful story of friendship and finding your place with what you are good at. In a magical town there lived many witches. As they get older, they each receive a relic that will give them their power. Moira had no idea what power her relic would give her. All the other witches made their relics glow and show them their power, even her best friend Lilly. Moira needs to be positive and realize that she needs to believe in herself so that her power will reveal itself. With Lilly at her side, will she be successful? I didn't realize that this was part of a series, but after reading this with my granddaughter, we are doing to look for the others. Lilly and Moira are best friends, but Lilly seems to be perfect to Moira and she can't do anything right. Things come easily to Lilly, while Moira is shy, reluctant to try things and often lonely. As the relics were passed out, everyone's was shiny and beautiful, but Moira got a plain looking broom. Of course my granddaughter knew right away that it would fly and wanted Moira to sit on it. She shared her problems with Lilly (because we all need a BFF) and eventually figured out what she needed to make her relic show her powers. This is an uplifting story about believing in yourself, trying, sharing, being a friend and encouraging others. The illustrations also by Beatrice Blue were whimsical, full of colour, emotion and detail. I recommend this book for primary classrooms when learning about friendship, trying new things, self-esteem and finding your strengths.

Thank you to the Author and Netgalley for the ARC!

I always love this authors work and this one was no different. An adorable story about accepting and believing in yourself. As always the art was magical and full of whimsy 🧹

I am a huge fan of Beatrice Blue and this book series. As always, the illustrations are stunning. I enjoyed the story of a witch that was not confident in herself and frustrated that she wasn't like everyone else - very relatable. However, with the help of her friend she was able to see that she had magic within all along.

4★
“Once upon a magical town, there lived two young children with very special futures ahead of them.
Moira and Lilly would one day become witches!”

These little girls have been best friends forever.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“They loved doing everything together. But they were also different in lots of ways.”

As we go through the book, we see just how different they are.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“Lilly could make every single potion sparkle with colors…”

There are bright, pastel pictures of Lilly singing and playing. Moira has a bleaker view of life. She’s not game to try anything because nothing works. She feels hopeless.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“And she was too shy to even try making potions. It would be a disaster, she was sure of that.”

Poor kid. Even when Lilly and their other friends are around, she feels alone. But wait! There is hope. She knows that at some point, when they’re ready, every witch will receive a magical Relic. She’s sure if she gets one, it will fix EVERYTHING.

The day finally comes. Lilly and Moira each have a beautifully wrapped gift waiting at their door. What could it be? Lilly’s is small, while Moira’s is big.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
Lilly: “It looks like it’s carrying a piece of the sun inside!”
Moira “This is no Relic at all.”

Lilly is excited. ALL of the little witches are excited, dancing and leaping and painting the air, flashing lightning. Not Moira. She sits with her broom and sulks. She has no magic power at all.

Lilly does her best to cheer her up, give her a pep talk, encourage her to try different things. Moira does. She tries spells and potions – nothing. No luck. That’s it – she’s done with her broom.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“I will NEVER be GOOD ENOUGH!”

She sneaks to the forest to hide her broken broom, but before she can do so, Lilly finds her. Moira wants to know how Lilly makes her Relic work. It turns out, Lilly has trouble and gets frustated, too, but she holds her Relic to her heart, thinks happy thoughts, and whispers:

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“‘Nothing needs to be perfect. I only have to be myself.’ Then I feel strong and happy, and my powers bloom!”

Moira takes her broom home, tapes it back together, hugs her broom in bed, and thinks about her favourite things.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“And while thinking and thinking, Moira fell asleep.”

She dreams she’s flying through the sky, through the stars and fluffy clouds. When she opens her eyes – SURPRISE! She is actually flying! She finds Lilly in a meadow full of flowers, and the two friends fly through the sky together.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“Lilly, Lilly! Look! My Relic is magical too!”

Lilly insists it’s not just the Relic that works – it’s also Moira’s own magic. Moira continues to be her best self and enjoy her magic. When they get old, they are still best friends, while new little witches are learning from them.

“From that day on, all witches carry their Relics, no matter if they’re rocks, or brooms, or dust… to remind them that everyone is important, and that nothing needs to be perfect. Loving and trusting themselves will make them become the very best witches they can ever, ever be.”

The illustrations in this are colourful and atmospheric. They remind me of stills from a good cartoon movie. If children are anxious and withdrawn, I think they would be attracted to this very pretty story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy for review.

Oh wow!!! It was a wonderful adventure with Lilly and Moira! And even more beautiful reminder that everyone are awesome. The story of two soon-to-be-witches, one who can do her magic and the other can't. But neither loose hope, for they will each be given a relic to boost their power. A beautifully illustrated book too, this was a pleasure to read.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

One upon a Witch's Broom is an adorable children's picture book with such a beautiful message for every little reader. I've not heard of this series of books before, and I'm so glad to have come across this one on netgalley. We follow two little witch friends who love each other dearly and are very different to each other. The story explains that not everything has to be perfect to be good enough and just because things always seem perfect for someone else doesn't mean it truly is and looks can be deceiving (this is so important for children to learn early in relation to social media especially), and that there's magic within us all we just have to discover it within ourselves. The illustrations are just adorable, and I can't wait to read all the other books in this collection!

This is a colorful children's book about the importance of being your unique self and finding your own power.

This was cute as anything. I’d love to read this to a group of kids just to see their opinion on the gorgeous illustrations and the endearing characters.

🧹REVIEW🧹

Title: Once Upon a Witch’s Broom
Author: Beatrice Blue
Release Date: August 8, 2023
Rating: 4/5⭐️

Once Upon a Witch’s Broom is a story about two young children, Moira and Lilly, who aspire to become witches. The problem is, is seems like Lilly is good at everything while Moira struggles. The two navigate the task of receiving their relics to become witches and also navigate their friendship and some of their deepest feelings along the way.

I always love books about witches, so I was eager to review this picture book. First of all, the illustrations are beautiful! There are many pages of intricately detailed illustrations that helped draw me into the story…the characters are especially beautiful. The friendship between Lilly and Moira was great. I loved the way that Moira viewed Lilly as being perfect and Lilly reassured her that she also made mistakes. The overarching theme of the story is that you don’t have to be perfect and you should love yourself for who you are, which I think is extremely important message for young children. Overall, this is a beautiful book with a wonderful message that will capture children’s imaginations.

Thank you to @netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

#netgalley #onceuponawitchsbroom #beatriceblue #childrensbooks #picturebooks #kidsbooks #schoollibrary #schoollibrarian

From Beatrice Blue's Once Upon series comes a new volume, One Upon a Witch's Broom, a lovely story about what it means to conquer self-doubt and flourish as an individual with the help of genuine friendship. But what makes this story special is the illustrations- the art style is captivating, and the colour palette is pleasant and with impeccable attention to detail the story and its characters truly come alive.

Thank you to Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the early access!

Once Upon a Witch's Broom by Beatrice Blue - 5/5
Children's Fiction - Health, Mind & Body

The cover to Once Upon a Witch's Broom is what completely stole my attention, then I downloaded the book and was in awe of the illustrations throughout. I love the colors and the attention to details. This is a story about friendship and one's ability to believe in themselves.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Children's Books for the eARC.

I absolutely adore Beatrice Blue's other picture books and have followed her illustration career for quite a while. Her use of colour, form, expression and mood is impressive and her visual language is just plain stunning. 'Once Upon a Witch's Broom' is brimming with optimism, colour and cute little details across every page. We are introduced to two little witches who receive their special "relics" which will help them reach their full potential as witches. Moira struggles to find and believe in herself, but through the power of friendship, kindness and acceptance she is finally able to embrace her true self. A marvelous read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quatro Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a sweet little story. Lilly is such a sweet supportive friend to Moira. I'm sure many little girls can see themselves in Moira, and she can help them find confidence in themselves through her story.

This book tells the tale of Moira, a little witch who is waiting for her powers to kick in. She really believes that on the day when every witch receives a powerful relic, she can finally find her own magical powers. But the relic turns out to be a broom, and she needs time to figure out how that will bring her magical powers forth. It is a book about low self-esteem, disappointment, and the ultimate power of friendships and believing in ourselves. I loved the art style and the colour palette, I think they fit the story perfectly. The writing style was a little lacking for me, but I prefer very lyrical writing when it comes to my fantasy-esque reads. It was still a wonderful little book, and I would highly recommend it once it comes out in August.

Thanks to Netgalley/the publisher for granting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for this eCopy to review

I love Beatrice Blue's illustrations they are beautiful especially the contrast between Lilly's light and Moira's dark.

This is a wonderful story of how friends and self-belief can help you overcome self-doubt and teaches an important message of not comparing yourself to others and accepting ourselves along with to keep trying and practicing if you do not succeed at first.

As huge fans of Beatrice Blue's Once Upon a Dragon's Fire, we were excited to discover this new story by Beatrice Blue. There is something about her gorgeous, whimsical illustrations and heart-warming storylines that give her stories a modern classic fairytale feel. While Once Upon a Dragon's Fire remains our favorite, the endearing characters Moira and Lilly made this new story a fun read. After comparing herself to the talents of others, Moira must overcome her discouragement to discover her own unique power. We recommend this story for picture book readers who like believe-in-yourself stories featuring adorable characters.

Moira struggles with comparing herself to her friend Lilly who seems to have a perfect life. When Lilly is given a bright and shiny relic and Moira gets a dusty old broom, she begins to doubt her abilities even further. She confides in Lilly and her friend gives her just the pep talk that she needs-- a reminder that the magic is inside YOU. Once Upon a Witch's Broom is a magical, colorfully illustrated tale that teaches the importance of friendship and self-love!

I cannot wait to add this one to my Beatrice Blue Collection. We have every single book she has released in the Once Upon a… series and they just keep getting better and better.

What this one is all about is the magic inside of us and realizing that even if we’re not as shiny, or pretty, or as “good” as some others, we all have magic inside of us. A beautiful magic.

In a world that tries to tamper the beauty of simplistic things for shiny, bigger, better things this book at the heart of it is all about how even the smallest insignificant thing can have meaning and power. And it’s inside every once of us.

Beatrice Blue is a thoughtful, careful, well crafted writer and illustrator and this one just shows how far her series has grown since “Once Upon a Unicorn’s Horn.”

Thank you so much Netgalley and Quarto for the opportunity to read this one before it comes out. It was already preordered, but I might have to preorder a few more copies.

The artwork is absolutely gorgeous and the story has a nice message about challenging perfectionism and accepting ourselves but the writing felt basic.