Title: The Widow's BroomAuthor: Chris Van Allsburg
Illustrator: Chris Van Allsburg
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
ISBN: 0448419653
Ages: All ages
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Witches' brooms don't last forever. They grow old and sometimes lose their power. Sometimes flying brooms lose their power for no reason. When this happens, both the broom and its passenger fall to Earth without warning. This is exactly what happened one chilly autumn night.
Lonely widow Minna Shaw finds an injured sky-fallen witch in her garden. The witch disappears before day break, but leaves her broom behind, thinking it is useless. Minna finds the broom and begins to use it.
One day Minna is amazed to see the broom sweeping on its own. She figures if it can do that, it can help her with the other household chores. She trains it to chop wood and to bring in buckets of water.
When Minna's nosey neighbors find out the broom can do all these things, they think it is possessed by evil spirits. They confront Minna and demand that she burn the broom.
How will Minna respond to her neighbors' demands? Will she triumph and keep the broom or will it be destroyed?
Author's Note:
This is a gentle story with great illustrations. A terrific read for kids 6 to 12. Adults will enjoy reading it aloud to younger children.
Click on the book cover at the beginning of this article to purchase The Widow's Broom.
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