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About The Book

Magical mayhem and hilarity ensue when a clever little witch tries to turn her baby brother into a goldfish in this funny and imaginative picture book about sibling rivalry.

Little Linh is the cleverest little witch on Mãi Mãi island. She has everything she could need: a trusty broomstick, a powerful spell book, and a magical pet mouse. She also has a new brother named Baby Phu, and she does not like him one bit. He crashes her broomstick, eats pages out of her spell book, and keeps her up all night. Little Linh tried giving Baby Phu away, but nobody will take him, not even the Orphanage for Lost and Magical Creatures.

So, she’ll just have to try something else…like turning him into a goldfish. The only problem is, Baby Phu ate the second half of the spell. Still, there’s a reason Little Linh is the cleverest little witch. She can guess the second half of the spell…but it might take a few tries.

About The Author

Muon Thi Van is the critically acclaimed picture book author of In a Village by the Sea, The Little Tree, and The Most Terrible of All. She lives in northern California with her family. Visit her at MuonThiVan.com.

About The Illustrator

Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of Puddle; The Twins’ Little Sister; Last Night, a Fiction Honorable Mention for the Bologna Ragazzi award and winner of the Golden Kite Award; There Are No Scary Wolves, winner of Society of Illustrators’ Founder’s Award; The Twins’ Blanket, a Junior Library Guild selection; and Mom, It’s My First Day of Kindergarten!, which won the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award and was selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Hyewon’s latest, A Piece of Home, written by Jeri Watts, received multiple starred reviews. Hyewon lives in Brooklyn, New York. Learn more at HyewonYum.com.

Why We Love It

“This sweet and funny story about sibling rivalry will resonate with many annoyed older siblings—and maybe a few younger annoying ones as well. Keep an eye out for how she uses cutout paper amongst the gouache and colored pencil illustrations.” —Karen W., Editorial Director, on Clever Little Witch

Product Details

  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (July 23, 2019)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481481724
  • Grades: P - 1
  • Ages: 4 - 6
  • Lexile ® 560L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

"A charming take on sibling conflict."

– Kirkus

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More books from this author: Muon Thi Van

More books from this illustrator: Hyewon Yum