The Witching Hour - by Jennifer Harris (Hardcover)

About the Book

"In the witching hour between dinner and bedtime, anything can happen: laughter, tears, fun screaming, not-fun screaming. Parents, siblings, pets, and neighbors are all familiar with this dreaded time of day. What happens when that cranky baby is part of a family of witches? Turns out, it's pretty much the same, except sometimes the toys levitate and the soothing songs sound a little different"--

Book Synopsis

A family of witches desperately tries to entertain a cranky baby in this delightful picture book for fans of Little Witch Hazel and Go the F**k to Sleep.

In the witching hour between dinner and bedtime, anything can happen: laughter, tears, fun screaming, not-fun screaming . . . parents, siblings, pets and neighbors are all familiar with this dreaded time of day.

What happens when that cranky baby is part of a family of witches?

Turns out, it's pretty much the same, except sometimes the toys levitate and the soothing songs sound a little different . . .

The Witching Hour is a spare, slyly funny and deeply familiar slice-of-life story featuring a fussy little witch and their increasingly desperate family.

Review Quotes

"Each scene looks awash with magic, with detailed strokes created on vibrant backgrounds. Together, the art and the delightfully alliterative text result in a tale that's both mystical and intimate." --Kirkus Reviews

"Jennifer Harris and Adelina Lirius have captured the [witching hour] phenomenon so perfectly in their new picture book that you and your children will be under their spell. . . . Lirius's fabulous pictures evoke an entire universe where the fantastic and the familiar are effortlessly blended. Earth colors predominate and the domestic interiors are as welcoming as those in Dutch still paintings. . . . For readers, this home of friendly spider webs, baskets of knitting yarn, and a quaint wood stove, seems uncannily real. For the duration of the story, you will be living among friends, and the supernatural is just, natural." --Imaginary Elevators

"[A] very sweet story about family coming together to help the youngest settle down. . . . Surprisingly, Jennifer Harris never makes the story ridiculous or uproariously funny. She keeps it charming and familial and affectionate. Any parent or older sibling will understand and feel for this family at this witching hour." --CanLit for LittleCanadians

About the Author

JENNIFER HARRIS is the author of three other picture books, including When You Were New, illustrated by Lenny Wen, and She Stitched the Stars, illustrated by Louise Pigott. Her book The Keeper of Stars, illustrated by Dorothy Leung, is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selection. Jennifer lives in a little storybook house with her husband and children in Waterloo, Ontario.

ADELINA LIRIUS is an illustrator based in Stockholm, Sweden. She loves painting imaginary scenes, portraying nature and depicting the different cultures she grew up with. Adelina is the illustrator of a picture book adaptation of The Secret Garden; The Fort by Laura Perdew; Rivka's Presents by Laurie Wallmark and I, Too, Am Mozart by Audrey Ades, which received a starred review from School Library Journal.