Another great addition for the upcoming Halloween season! I LOVED the beautiful illustrations and seeing all the very peculiar familiars! I appreciated seeing the diversity as well. As a huge cat lover, I almost think it is now a boring familiar. Give me a llama!

Why choose a black cat as your familiar when you could have a pangolin, a crab, or a worm?

I loved both the author's rhyming text and her fun illustrations. Kids will like this delightful book, but it also has strong appeal to adults, and would make a fine gift for witch fanciers (like me!)

A fun, year-round Witchy book.
I'm a sucker for a rhyming tale and this book is like candy, for both the brain and the eyes. Wacky Witches has incredibly cozy illustrations, there's a lot to take in. Each page is a mini scavenger hunt for cozy, cute trinkets. It's also charming to meet a coven of witches that is diverse and inclusive, accompanied by the sweetest Familiars.

Thanks to NetGalley and North South Books for the eARC!

3.5/5 stars

this wasn’t what i expected but it was still cute and absolutely worth the read!

this was a children’s book full of fun rhymes about different witches who have a delightful range of familiars. based on the description, i think i was expecting a bigger sprinkling of cultural details and gender empowerment. however, i think the writing level was also age-appropriate. essentially, i had mixed feelings. i do think having cute witches and animals together is enough to create a positive image for the intended audience (and i'm pretty sure that was the main goal anyways).

also! the art in this picture book was honestly to die for. i loved the palette and style and would absolutely hang up prints of it in my room. the fact that this book is coming out just in time for spooky season is *mwah* very chef's kiss.

all in all, this was a quick and quirky read well-suited for families who enjoy all things magical and autumnal.

i will update my review with a link to where i post it closer to the publishing date :)

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

Although I am in a wheelchair and the sheep does seem like a good similar for me, I love the yak. I could fall asleep on him while we ran our errands. I like this book a lot. Plenty of beautiful illustrations and imagination within its writing.

Daughter (6) and I both enjoyed this one! It talks about different witches and the different animals they have has familiars. Very cute and diverse. Loved the illustrations.

This book was far more about the animals than the witches and it was so fun to see the variety of animals alongside a very diverse cast of witches. We see some more domestic animals but also some fun exotic ones, for example, on familiar is a snake while another is a pangolin. One is a parrot, while another a crab.

I appreciated that there were no cats to be found, so if that was what you were expecting... you might be disappointed.

The book rhymes relaly nicely and the illustration is super detailed and cute with lots to look at on the large page spreads. Each familiar is helpful in their own unique ways, with racoons doing dishes, giraffes being ladders but also with sheep providing wool and yaks milk.

Overally, I thought that this diverse cast of witches and their unique and fun familiars was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed seeing what animals would pop up next. This could be a great read for kids that love animal or those that love Halloween and the spooky.. but this book really isn't spooky at all.

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiar by April Suddendorf was an amazing children's book! It showcases all different types of witches using cute rhymes and simple sentences that are perfect for the little minds of children.

I recommend this book to parents who want to show their children a glimpse into different religions or to parents who are trying to raise little witch children.

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Pros: This book is a delight. I loved the rhyming stories of the witches and their familiars/pets. The illustrations are fantastic--I appreciated the diversity in appearance of the witches.

Cons: None!

Thank you to NetGalley and NorthSouth Books Inc. for the opportunity to read this book.

It's a heart-warming, cozy read. The presentation of each little witch and her respective familar is on rhymes and each verse is light and fun, which makes the reader not want to stop reading (and in the end regret having read it so quickly).
Its is accompanied by beautiful illustrations that speak directly to what was written. Personally, I really enjoyed seeing the design of each little witch being so different, not only in their physical appearance, but also in their styles, hobbies and lifestyle.
I really enjoyed reading it now, I know my younger self would have enjoyed it too and I believe an older version of me will read it out loud to someone.

A very cozy, whimsical, and entertaining illustrated rhyming book for those who love wonderful artwork of witches, also a very sweet picture book that explores different animals as possible pets (familiars) and their peculoar ways to help their witches companion. I loved all of them and how detailed the illistrarioms were. Made me feel I went on a journey around the world.
What familiar would my be? Hm... a koala or a whale? If I lived in a lighthouse, I would want a whale friend.
Thank you, publisher and netgalley, for this e-arc.

Nicely different collection of novelty verse, but not a classic. It being translated into English by the author doesn't guarantee a hit after hit success, and we don't get that here, with verses about the more unusual animal choices some witches make when it comes to familiars. If anything the quirk of the visuals is preferable to that in the text – the witch that lives with a snake really lives with it, for it almost covers every inch of the page; we see that a squirrel held at the right angle makes for a fine duster to clean the dust off our skeletons.

I think it's more of an advert for being an unusual female, hence the loner kind, the mermaid kind, the overrun-by-mice kind. The witches here are diverse with diverse needs, but they have all found their ideal life and their ideal familiar companion, so don't lose heart in that regard is the lesson here. And for once, unusually for me, I think I prefer this to have a lesson, as without it it's not that great. It's still no classic, but having a point to the novelty is something to earn it three and a half stars.

This was a fun rhyming book about witches and their familiars. I enjoyed the wide assortment of animals and the diversity included with the witches. The color palette definitely gave more Halloween vibes than an any time of the year book about witches. While I liked the rhymes, some of them were clunky or didn’t match the images very well. It felt that some of the word choice was chosen just to rhyme rather than for the plot. I think the dig at cats towards the end was unnecessary and alienating for readers. I’m a dog person, but I think it would’ve been fun to have a “peculiar” spin on a cat familiar. Overall, an enjoyable book.

This was so cute and I loved every aspect of it. I read it to both of my kids and they loved it, they giggled the whole way through. It’s a rhyming, cute book with silly pictures of the witches and their peculiar living their lives. I highly to commend and i can’t wait to purchase a finished copy.

This is a cute read, but a little too disjointed. However, I still I enjoyed the unique concept, illustrations, and creativity!

Wacky Witches and Their Peculiar Familiars is such an interesting read. I could get lost in the illustrations for hours - there’s so many details! I liked the creativity and the concept of this book. I wasn’t a fan of the writing style, since the poetic rhythms were haphazard at best.
Overall, a great book.

Super fun rhymes. I didn't expect that.
A bit like going through all the animals at a farm, but a lot more fun.


Book will be featured in a upcoming youtube video.

This story was not my cup of tea, but I give it points for its unique concept! The story introduces readers to a variety of witches who all have different pets in the form of poems. The poems were a little bit TOO out there for me, but I loved that the illustrator drew witches of all different sizes, ethnicities, and locations. It was clear that both the author and illustrator worked together to ensure that there was a wide array of women represented in the story which I appreciated!

This is an okay read. The rhyme and illustrations were fun to read and look at. I like seeing different animals as familiars, however, I still want to see cats.

This book was adorable! I love the diversity of the characters and the artwork was very cute and detailed as well! I love how well all of the witches match their companions and help each other out as well! <3