Also written and/or illustrated by Faith Ringgold:
Tar Beach
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 The Three Witches
by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Joyce Carol Oates, illustrated by Faith Ringgold |
| Grades 2-5 |
32 pages |
HarperCollins |
July 2006 |
Hardcover |
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The Three Witches is a visual adaptation of an oral story from the West Indies. On the one hand, this is a delightfully creepy revenge tale about two orphaned children and the three witches who ate their parents and later threaten the two of them. The other hand is filled with puzzlement over expressions not explained and unfamiliar to American children.
After being captured by the witches, the children escape and climb a tree to hide from them. When the witches track them down, they surround the tree with axes chanting “Whyncher, whyncher.” The girl replies “Block eye chip,” which I believe was a call for the chips of wood to blind the witches as they savaged the tree with their axes. But what does “whyncher” mean? No explanation is given, though a note is given about the last line of the book which is “By that time I left” meaning “The End.”
The dedication and notes regarding copyright are at the end of the book rather than the beginning, which will cause them to be overlooked by some readers. The story itself is marvelous, more appropriate for 8-10 year olds than younger children. Faith Ringgold’s illustrations are vivid and eye-catching, but her execution of the witches and dogs seem a bit crude and not well done overall.
The best feature of this book is its total lack of Disney-esque sugar coating to soften the teeth of the plot. There is evil afoot in the world, and it must be dealt with. Overall, this is a wonderful, slightly scary story for the campfire, best passed on orally rather than visually.
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