The Witchling’s Wish will age well wherever it wants

There are some artists whose work just packs a punch or leaves a mark on you. It can be a telltale sign or a manner in which they communicate that makes the project that they’ve involved with a go-to event. Sarah Massini is an illustrator whose work does that for us, and we’ve only dealt with two of her books. The Girl and the Dinosaur was the first one that introduced us to her style and now The Witchling’s Wish cements her style as one that we need to keep an eye out for. To be clear, Massini has released many books which she has illustrated, and from their covers, they all seem to have that vibe for early elementary school readers.

Her style is whimsical, carefree, detail-rich, and curious and enables the sense of wonder that those young readers want to wrap themselves in. Her art makes you want to believe that it can happen or actually exist. As an adult, I know that witches don’t live in the peaks of mountain crags that overlook quaint villages. I know that. Yet, I read The Witchling’s Wish and I want it to be so.

There’s a relatable sense of common, like the teddy bear on the cover who is missing one eye and whose appendages appear frayed from too much love. That’s juxtaposed with our titular witch, tip-toed on a mountain top in an uncharacteristic green pointy hat, with a plaid green jacket, casting spells to the enjoyment of an owl who is flying around her. And oh, the details, while The Witchling’s Wish is not a seek-and-find illustrated book, every page is loaded with corner-to-corner color and laden with minute things to make the fictional seem plausible. It’s a world that you might not want to live in, but you sure want to visit.

The illustrations in The Witchling’s Wish do the driving and the text from Lu Fraser sets up the narrative and connects the dots. It whimsically tells the story about a young witch that is mostly happy but wants to make some friends. Little Witchling starts to brew a potion that’ll make some friends, but she’s just missing one ingredient. Thankfully, she knows just where to find the fur from a one-eyed teddy bear and she starts out on her journey on her trusty broom.

She quickly finds the teddy bear and tries to defend the young girl who currently has it. Much to her chagrin, she discovers that Lily, the young girl whose room she crashed into, doesn’t fear the bear at all; rather, she loves it and it has provided years of comfort and has become her best friend. Moreover, Lily is sympathetic to Witchling’s goal and offers up the last remaining piece of fur from the almost loved-out teddy bear.

This selfless act causes the Witchling to be confused to where she abruptly tries to leave the room, but Lily stops her. She explains what being a friend ultimately is, and the two continue their bond by flying over the city on her broom. It’s also worth noting that the book ends on an absolutely perfect note, one that’s so sublime that you have to read the final sentence in its entirety so that you can fully appreciate it.

The Witchling’s Wish is also an oversized illustrated book. The bigger than-normal pages lend themselves to those young readers getting willfully lost in its pages while they trace the witches’ path or appreciate the details in the illustrations. This is story time, real-to-me magic that ages three through six will giggle at, get wide-eyed at, and poke their friends when they first realize what’s ultimately going to happen. It’s also a book that will live forever in elementary school libraries.

The Witchling’s Wish is by Lu Fraser with illustrations by Sarah Massini and is available on Bloomsbury Children’s Books.

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