Zoom Broom

Gritch the Witch is hungry and her batscotti andeek!spresso snack isn't quite doing the trick. She wants a more filling, furry snack. She wants bunny. On her way to the Farmer in the Dell's rabbit-ridden place, she and her broomstick experience a crash landing, shortly after her old broom stalls in midair: "It spit. Sputtered. Coughed. Chugged. Choked. And then it gave out a long gasping, gurgly gurgle, did one loop-d-loop, and tailspinned toward ground zero." Desperate for a new vehicle, she ends up at Foxy's, a used-vehicle lot marked by signs such as "Foxy's: We'll take you for a ride." Foxy tries to sell her a magic carpet from "A Lad in the East," then he attempts to unload Cinderella's pumpkin coach: "Very low mileage. Used only once. Runs like a charm." The fox's cheesy sales tactics don't go over very well: "Save the spiel, cut the chit-chat, and can the flim-flam, Foxy!" she shouts. Her fury only escalates when she asks, "Which one is the one I want?"--catapulting them into an infuriating "Who's on first"-style repartee over "Witch 1," the name of a certain model of broom. Zoom Broom, Margie Palatini's over-the-top sequel to the immensely popular Piggie Pie, is as smart-alecky and fast-paced as they come, and Howard Fine's colorful, action-packed, almost grotesquely intense illustrations are perfect for this wild and witchy ride. (Ages 4 to 9) --Karin Snelson

Gritch the Witch is hungry and her batscotti and eek!spresso snack isn't quite doing the trick. She wants a more filling, furry snack. She wants bunny. On her way to the Farmer in the Dell's rabbit-ridden place, she and her broomstick experience a crash landing, shortly after her old broom stalls in midair: "It spit. Sputtered. Coughed. Chugged. Choked. And then it gave out a long gasping, gurgly gurgle, did one loop-d-loop, and tailspinned toward ground zero." Desperate for a new vehicle, she ends up at Foxy's, a used-vehicle lot marked by signs such as "Foxy's: We'll take you for a ride." Foxy tries to sell her a magic carpet from "A Lad in the East," then he attempts to unload Cinderella's pumpkin coach: "Very low mileage. Used only once. Runs like a charm." The fox's cheesy sales tactics don't go over very well: "Save the spiel, cut the chit-chat, and can the flim-flam, Foxy!" she shouts. Her fury only escalates when she asks, "Which one is the one I want?"--catapulting them into an infuriating "Who's on first"-style repartee over "Witch 1," the name of a certain model of broom. Zoom Broom, Margie Palatini's over-the-top sequel to the immensely popular Piggie Pie, is as smart-alecky and fast-paced as they come, and Howard Fine's colorful, action-packed, almost grotesquely intense illustrations are perfect for this wild and witchy ride. (Ages 4 to 9) --Karin Snelson