Megan and the Weather Witch: Two Stories

Elizabeth Levin is a psychology professor at Laurentian University.

This paperback for 4- to 10-year-olds consists of two modern-day
Canadian fairy tales. In “The Weather Witch,” the title character
drops in at Megan’s lemonade stand. Megan asks if the witch can make
it rain in dry, hot Toronto. Later that night, she climbs aboard the
witch’s air balloon to meet the witch’s two bats, who do and say
everything backwards. The foursome set off to round up some clouds and
the adventure begins. In “The Bats and the Statue Parade,” Megan
helps the bats celebrate their unbirthdays (remember everything is
backward) by attending a parade of statues—some famous, some
not—that come alive and meander down University Avenue in Toronto (but
only on Victoria Day).

These are truly engaging stories. The events could take place anywhere,
but the Toronto setting gives them a Canadian flavor. The text has a
smooth feeling to it. The stories are pleasingly longer than what one
might anticipate. There are also some clever word plays within the
stories. And the illustrations are fantastic! Warm and inviting, they
truly capture the mood of the story while at the same time stimulating
the imagination.

Although the book is generally easy to read or listen to, a glossary of
some unexpected words (e.g., lugubrious) might have helped.