 | |
| Author | Virginia Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Barry Moser |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Children's literature, Picture book, American Folklore |
| Published | 2004 (Blue Sky Press) |
| Media type | Print (hardback, paperback) |
| Pages | 32 (unpaginated) |
| ISBN | 9780590288804 |
| OCLC | 861755682 |
Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny: An Original African American Scare Tale is a 2004 picture book by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by Barry Moser. It is about a witch, Wee Winnie, who terrifies Uncle Big Anthony but is then killed by Mamma Granny.
Reception
Booklist, reviewing Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny, wrote "This original scare tale, which may be her creepiest, is a wonderful horror story that draws on traditional beliefs about witches hanging up their skins and riding people using braided hair as a bridle. Moser's framed, colored wood engravings do a great job of bringing the wild, shivery adventure close to home, their black backgrounds and strong lines lit with garish Halloween images in shades of green and red."[1] The School Library Journal recommended that "This tale is admirably suited to Halloween telling, or for any time that shivers are in order."[1]
The Horn Book Magazine drew comparisons with Zora Neale Hurston's The Skull Talks Back (HarperCollins, 2004) and wrote that some of the illustrations "reflect a reality of historical suffering" and "casts an eerie suggestion of lynching" It found that "Visually and verbally, this is dark art on dark art."[2]
Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny has also been reviewed by Publishers Weekly,[3] and Kirkus Reviews.[4]
References
- 1 2 "Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny : an original African American scare tale /". bepl.ent.sirsi.net. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny : an original African American scare tale - Reviews". catalog.wccls.org. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ↑ "Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny: An Original Scare Tale". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. August 9, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
The disjointed storytelling contributes to the suspense; the book's malevolent sexual overtones and startling illustrations will haunt readers after the last page is turned.
- ↑ "Wee Winnie Witch's Skinny: An Original Scare Tale (starred review)". Kirkus Media LLC. July 15, 2004. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
it folds tried-and-true folkloric elements into a fast-paced story .. In full-page wood engravings, Moser captures the tale's moonlit horror with gloriously icky views of the witch, both skinless, and as a cat with long-nailed human hands—but he also provides welcome comic relief at the end, with a scene of James Lee, many years later, relating the tale with obvious relish to a wide-eyed young listener.