Lulu Goes to Witch School, illustrated by Bella Sinclair

Lulu the witch goes to school for the first time in this second early reader devoted to her magical adventures, following upon Lulu and the Witch Baby. Although she likes her teacher, Miss Slime, Lulu finds her classmate, Sandy Witch, more than a little annoying. Seemingly good at everything, and not afraid to boast about it, the other little witch looks poised to ruin Lulu's schooldays. Will a bout of lizard pox fix matters, or are these two destined to be witchy foes...?

Originally published in 1987, with illustrations from Emily Arnold McCully, Lulu Goes to Witch School was reprinted in 2014 in this updated edition, with new artwork by Bella Sinclair, and a revised text from author Jane O'Connor. In comparing the two versions side by side, I discovered that the text in this new edition had been simplified, with whole sentences removed, and the occasional change made in order. I found the result less satisfactory than the original, and am not sure why the change needed to be made in the first place. The result felt a little dumbed dumb, especially as the new edition is a level 2 I Can Read Book, and doesn't need to be that simple. For instance, why change the following:

"It was the first day of witch school. Lulu Witch was happy. She was scared too. She had never been to witch school before. Lulu could not eat her frosted snake flakes. She felt as is bats were inside her tummy."

and make it into this:

"It was the first day of witch school. Lulu Witch was happy and scared. Lulu could not eat her frosted snake flakes. She felt as is bats were inside her tummy."

The former is a little bit longer, but still has simple sentences, and isn't that much more difficult to read. In addition to this unnecessary simplification, I also felt that sometimes the changes here were done to make the narrative a little less sharp, a little less thoughtful, resulting in a text that felt a little more generic. For example, when Lulu meets her teacher Miss Slime for the first time, in the original, the text tells us: "Lulu thought Miss Slime was very pretty." Given the description that came before, of the teacher's warts and long nose, this could emphasize the different beauty standards in the witchy community, in this tale, or possibly even raise the idea of the subjective nature of aesthetic taste, in the child reader. In the new edition, the description of Miss Slime with her long nose and wart on her chin is simply followed by the statement: "Miss Slime was very pretty," making what what was a more nuanced look at the idea of beauty into a flat statement. There's nothing here for the child to ponder, nothing to evoke deeper thought. Similarly, towards the end of the book, when Lulu ends up having more spots from the Lizard Pox, the following sentence is removed entirely from the new edition: "For once she had done something better than Sandy Witch." The implication here seems to be that Lulu's moment of petty triumph, in surpassing her rival, is so problematic that it must be excised, even thought its very pettiness is true to childhood, and also what gives that moment humor?

As the foregoing should make plain, I think the changes made in Lulu Goes to Witch School were unnecessary, and resulted in a subtly inferior narrative than the original. I didn't have the original of Lulu and the Witch Baby to hand, when reading the newer edition of that one, but I suspect similar changes were made. I find it disappointing, and a little troubling, that these changes are being made in a book that it already so simple, as it points to falling standards in the books we are giving beginning readers, both textually and intellectually. I thought Bella Sinclair's new artwork here was cute (as I did with the new edition of Lulu and the Witch Baby), but in the end, I don't really recommend this one, and would advise parents and teachers to seek out the original instead. ( )

Lulu Goes to Witch School, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully

In this second early-reader devoted to the adventures of little witch-girl Lulu - the first was Lulu and the Witch Baby - our witchy heroine experiences her first day at school, where she discovers that she likes her teacher, Miss Slime, but dislikes her classmate, Sandy Witch. A bit of a braggart and a bully, with the accomplishments to back up her snooty superiority act - she arrives at school knowing more than Lulu, she wins praise from Miss Slime for her artwork, and she proves a whiz at flying - Sandy is ruining Lulu's school experience! It takes a bout of lizard pox to even things out...

Like its predecessor, Lulu Goes to Witch School uses an enchanting environment - witches! magic! potions and spells! - to explore an all-too-common childhood experience: the first day of school. Unlike its predecessor, which didn't really speak to me, I found this story rather charming. Young readers will really identify with Lulu's feelings of frustration, I think, and sympathize with her awkwardness, and desire to avoid school. The humorous conclusion to the tale, along with the colorful, cartoon-like illustrations from Emily Arnold McCully, will only add to their enjoyment. Recommended to beginning readers who enjoy witchy tales, along with similar titles from Deborah Hautzig (Little Witch's Big Night) and Bruce Degen (The Little Witch and the Riddle). ( )

This story is interesting. I thought Lulu is normal girl. I also don't like sandy. She is ill-tempered.

Lulu's very excited to start witch school- until she meets Sandy Witch. Sandy brags about how she is the best at everything, and outdoes Lulu even at the things Lulu excels at. Lulu finally gets her chance to be the best- she ends up with the most lizard pox! ( )

Attending school for the first time, Lulu the little witch likes her teacher, ‘ but there is one annoying factor— curly-haired Sandy Witch, who does everything better than Lulu.