Winnie Under the Sea

Korky Paul’s distinctively quirky style enlivens the narrative in this new story about Winnie the Witch (one of a series).  The illustrations are so full of humorous detail that something new will be noticed at each reading to delight young readers.  Winnie is holidaying on an island. She’s having fun swimming but her black cat is water shy so she turns him into a cat-fish so that he too can enjoy the wonders of the ocean deep. But she’ll have to take her wand into the sea to change him back. Now, how can she hold it while diving?  Of course! She turns herself into an octopus. There’s a bit of excitement as she loses the wand and I particularly like the double page where you have to turn the book round to get a depth-ways view. Your eyes follow the text and pictures as Winnie’s wand sinks down to the ocean floor. She finds it of course and when the pair get back up to shore, Winnie see a yellow boat and has the winning idea of turning it into a submarine. A perfect way to enjoy the wonders of sea life (especially for the cat, just see his grin). An unfussy but engaging narrative makes this a book to enjoy.