Whizz-Bang Winnie

Fans of Winnie the Witch will not be disappointed with this collection of four new Winnie stories published as a small format young fiction title with black and white illustrations. Winnie is just as impractical and hilarious as ever, with her ever patient, suffering sidekick Wilbur putting up with all of the mishaps that pepper events. How Winnie deals with a heatwave, a book day, an impromptu birthday party and winning a race are all recounted with the sort of detail that will have children turning the pages to see what happens next. Korky Paul’s sense of humour is ever present in his illustrations. My only gripe is that text and illustrations appear to be crammed in too close to each other – the greater space allowed in the picture book format is more appealing on balance.