A relative newcomer to the witch stories for kids genre, Witchworld is an absolute delight to read. The book is so brilliantly andtautly written that you can read it to any child who has started listening to chapter books. We are currently booking tour dates for the opera in 2022. Please get in touch for details: [email protected] Although his mother Grimalkin and sister Sootica are both witch's cats, Gobbolino longs to be a kitchen cat instead, to be loved rather than feared. Abandoned by his mother and her witch because his "abnormal" white paw and blue eyes makes him unsuitable as a witch's cat, Gobbolino sets off to find a loving home. In a series of adventures, our hero continually finds what appear to be ideal homes, only to be turned out again when his parentage is revealed, or the circumstances of his human companions change.

The story may be 75 years old now, but the style shouldn't put off readers/listeners, the language is readable and moves along nicely. Gobbolino and his magic bring a quirkiness of their own to the story. I was glad to finally discover this one. Into Opera is transforming this well-known children’s book, Gobbolino the Witch’s Cat by Ursula Moray Williams, into an opera for family audiences. The opera will include an 8-person professional cast and 10-piece chamber orchestra. We are offering hundreds of primary school children the opportunity to participate in developing this brand new opera and to gain a unique insight into the often ‘closed’ process of how an opera is actually created. We aim to offer children a truly immersive introduction to opera, which enables them to explore, challenge, and creatively participate in all elements of what this art form can offer. Children have already started working with: Gobbolino the Witch's Cat is a story about identity, difference, acceptance, belonging and tolerance. When Gobbolino's family refuse to accept his dream of becoming a kitchen cat, Gobbolino goes in search of a new home. He ventures from Hurricane Mountain to a busy farm, to a tower up high in a castle... he is even recruited by sailors and caught up in a dangerous, storm at sea. What's more, little Gobbolino comes face to face with a dragon! This resilient cat, going from one adventure to another, has a lot to teach children and adults alike. It's an episodic shaggy-dog story, and every chapter follows the exact same plot. Gobbolino was born a witch's kitten, but he is nice and doesn't want to harm anyone, so he wants to be a kitchen cat. He will find some people to live with, and all goes well, until they discover he is a witch's cat and will chase him out and on to the next chapter where the exact same thing will happen with some new people. It is so monotonous, I could barely bring myself to read on, but I wanted to finish it since I knew I enjoyed it as a child. We love a witch story in this family. So we’ve rounded up our seven favourite witch stories for kids. Each of these children’s witch story books is a brilliant read.Do be prepared for tears, Gobbolino gets into some terrible scrapes before he finally finds a mat he can call home. Gobbolino is supposed to grow up to be a witch’s cat, just like his mother and like his sister, Sootica, wants to be. But Gobbolino is different from the rest of his family. He has blue eyes and one white paw and what he really wants is to be a kitchen cat and have people who love him. The story follows Gobbolino in his quest to find a home.

There’s a whole series of Winnie books with nice big colourful illustrations which make them great for reading to two to five year olds. For early readers you can also buy editions with multiple stories, in fact there’s a set of ten books you can buy. Meg is a witch whose spells always seem to go wrong, but they lead to zany fun and adventures. Her stories always involve her long-suffering cat, Mog, and their friend Owl. The story started on a dark and cloudy night, when Gobbolino found himself the odd one out amongst witch's kittens - he had one white paw, blue (not green) eyes, and a hint of tabby on his coat. His appearance disqualified him to be a witch's cat, also his heart was too kind to be one. He wanted to be good, not bad; he wanted to be a kitchen cat. After being rejected by the crowd he was born into, he embarked on a journey to find the home he would belong. Along the way, his magic and kindness brought happiness to many, yet his own happiness never really lasted. My top tip for parents reading to younger children is to give your story-telling skills full rein and skim just a tiny bit where necessary.This is a wonderful first chapter book for children. Each chapter tells a separate instalment in Gobbolino’s journey and ends with a cliff hanger that keeps the reader wanting more.

It's a good choice for readers maybe just too young for Harry Potter but ready for magic. With lots of fairly short episodes, it will make a good bedtime series for several nights, and even lead to discussions about differing beliefs, about witches and treating others with kindness. It may be a bit scary at times, but like all Roald Dahl books, it is a great read for four to five year olds, who are just starting to appreciate having chapter books read to them. The witches are often feisty, go-getters who make strangely brilliant role models for girls, as well as loveable characters. Find out more | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia) 7. Witchworld, by Emma Fischel The books make for great stories to read out loud, but they are also great self-read books for ages seven and up.Originally published in 1942, and newly reprinted by Kingfisher, this minor children's classic relates the story of Gobbolino, who, much like the hero of Williams's earlier title Adventures of the Little Wooden Horse, is a magical creature cast out into the world and searching for a home. Jill Murphy is brilliant at using really simple language to tell compellingly good stories. This makes these books fun early chapter books to read to four to six year olds. They are also super delightful for parents to read to their children at bedtime or other read out loud moments.