Maureen Spurgeon

Willow was a handsome black cat with sharp pointed ears, big eyes and a long tail. In short, the perfect witch's cat. Unfortunately, the magic maker he belonged to—Wumpet the Witch—was anything but perfect! Forgetful, stupid, and hopelessly muddled with her spells, Wumpet was always causing chaos, leading Willow to escape through the fence to the next-door-neighbor's yard. Here he met the human girl Jenny, and the two became fast friends, enjoying watching Wumpet struggle with her magic. When Wumpet discovers that Willow has been trying to spend time next door, she attempts to put a stop to it, but here too she is less than successful. Though the hole in the fence is eventually repaired by Jenny's father, girl and cat remain companions, with Willow simply jumping over the fence...

Published separately in 1992 as one of Leicestershire-based Brown Watson's series of Bedtime Books, Willow the Witch's Cat can also be found in the Bedtime Stories anthology, published that same year, and containing three other stories from author Maureen Spurgeon. I have classified the book as a beginning reader, as it is far too text-heavy to be considered a picture-book, and is not long enough to have chapter divisions, and therefore cannot really be considered a beginning chapter-book. I tracked this one down because of the witchy content, as heavily illustrated stories about witches are a particular interest of mine. That said, I didn't enjoy it that much, finding the story itself both dull and mean-spirited—I think the author was going for humorous, but my funny bone just wasn't tickled—and the artwork a little too garishly colorful for my taste. I had hopes of some lighthearted witchery, given the cover, but it wasn't to be.… (mais)