Pénélope Bagieu’s illustrations are a good fit for Dahl’s story. She keeps the book from becoming too overwhelming for readers, allowing them to see that, even though there are scary things out in the world, there is also love, and laughter, and fun. So it is important that the story adds a bit of levity through the grandmother. The grandmother, however, is not merely wise and lovable–she is also hilarious! The Witches is actually rather a creepy book–the titular characters really will do anything to rid the world of children and Dahl does not let his characters get away easily. She deftly balances her desire to care for him with her knowledge that she has to allow him room to grow. That Dahl chooses to feature a grandmother is therefore very special–and what a grandmother she is! She clearly loves her grandson dearly, but she does not coddle him, instead warning him of the perils of witches (and thereby possibly scarring him for life), and then allowing him to fight the witches because he believes it is right. Even the stories with adult authority figures, however, may not focus on grandparents. Many children’s books, of course, simply dispose of the parents altogether, so that the kid protagonists can experience danger and excitement unimpeded. One of the aspects of The Witches I have always loved is the relationship between the boy and his grandmother. Readers who may not have picked up a Roald Dahl work on their own may be inspired to see what else he has written after being introduced to his imagination with this beautifully-illustrated adaptation. It embraces the slightly scary, but also funny, tone of the original, delivering a book that is sure to enthrall readers with its brave heroes and their quirky adventures. The Witches: The Graphic Novel is a compelling adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel.
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December 2022
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