Winnie the Witch Haunted House Winnie the Witch, a beloved character from children's books, is known for her magical adventures and misadventures. One of her most memorable escapades revolves around a haunted house. One day, Winnie stumbled upon an old, decrepit house while flying on her broomstick. Being a witch with an adventurous spirit, she couldn't resist exploring it. As she entered, the creaking floorboards and musty smell gave her a thrill of excitement. Unbeknownst to Winnie, the house was rumored to be haunted.
Winnie's Haunted House
One sunny afternoon Winnie the witch and Wilbur, her big, black cat decide to have a snooze. A bumblebee flies in through the window. Wilbur can't resist chasing a bee. He jumps and lands on Winnie's favourite vase, smashing it to pieces.
Winnie wakes up and tries to find out what has happened, but she has lost her glasses and can't see much without them. Wilbur's attempts at hiding from Winnie cause more chaos, convincing Winnie that her house is haunted.
How can she find a spell to fix her house and read it without her glasses? Suppose she reads the wrong spell? More fun with Winnie and Wilbur, and a wealth of detail and humour in the lively illustrations.
Valerie Thomas
Valerie Thomas was born in Australia and has lived there for most her life. She has worked as a teacher, but her special hobby is travelling, and she has travelled to most parts of the world, even Antarctica, but she doesn't travel by broomstick.
She is now trying to organise her life so that she never has to experience another winter. She used to live with a big black cat exactly like Wilbur but luckily her house was not black.
Korky Paul
Korky Paul was born in Harare Zimbabwe in 1951. He enjoyed a wild and privileged childhood in the African Bushveldt. He studied Fine Arts at Durban Art School and Film Animation at CalArts. He began his career in advertising before becoming an award-winning illustrator of children's books. He has sold more than two million books world wide in over twenty languages.
Known only to himself as the 'World's Greatest Portrait Artist', Korky regularly visits schools promoting his passion for drawing. He is a patron of The Art Room, Pegasus Theatre and Reading Quest. Korky Paul is married with two children. He lives in Oxford but they spend the summer living it up in Greece.
Witches and Wizards
These are some of our absolute favourite books about witches and wizards, guaranteed to engage younger children.
Winnie's Haunted House
Front cover of an edition of Winnie's Haunted House.
Winnie's Haunted House (ISBN 0192744062) is a 32-page children's picture book with text by the Australian-born author Valerie Thomas and illustrations by the Zimbabwean-born author Korky Paul. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Oxford University Press in September 2015. It was republished in September 2016 as Winnie and Wilbur: The Haunted House (ISBN 0192748297). It is the sixteenth book in the Winnie and Wilbur picture book series that began with the 1987 publication of Winnie the Witch.
The story's main characters are a witch named Winnie and her big black cat Wilbur. The plot is set in motion when Wilbur accidentally breaks some things in Winnie's house. Not realizing that her cat is to blame for the breakages, Winnie decides that they must be the work of a ghost.
Unbeknownst to Winnie, the house was rumored to be haunted. Legends told of strange noises, ghostly apparitions, and objects moving on their own. But Winnie, always curious and unafraid, dismissed these stories as mere superstitions.
Plot [ ]
While Winnie the Witch is taking a nap one afternoon, a bee flies in through the window. Wilbur the cat chases after the bee and jumps to catch it. He misses the bee, falls into a vase and breaks it. The sound of the breaking vase wakes Winnie up. At first, she blames Wilbur for breaking the vase. Since she cannot see the cat, however, because he is hiding under her armchair, Winnie decides that Wilbur cannot be to blame after all.
Winnie also cannot find her glasses, not realizing that they are on top of her head. She thinks that somebody might have taken them. She gets up to look for the glasses. At the same time, Wilbur runs out from under the armchair to hide behind the curtains. The curtains fall down on top of Winnie. She begins to suspect that her house might be haunted.
Looking for a better place to hide, Wilbur runs upstairs and jumps onto a chandelier. The chandelier falls from the ceiling, Wilbur being able to jump off the chandelier and onto a banister just in time.
Winnie is now convinced that her house is haunted. She goes to get her big book of spells to look for a spell to fix a haunted house. Although she is not able to read very well, since Winnie is not wearing her glasses, Winnie finds what she thinks is the right spell. She performs some actions, waves her magic wand and says the magic word "Abracadabra". Suddenly, owls, bats, huge spider webs and big hairy spiders, ghosts and skeletons appear. Winnie's house, which had not been haunted before, has become haunted for real.
Realizing that she has made a mistake, Winnie looks at her book of spells again. A passing owl knocks Winnie's glasses onto her nose. She then sees that the spell she cast before was headed "How to make a haunted house". The spell underneath it, "How to fix a haunted house", tells her that she should cast the spell that she cast to make the haunted house in reverse. She performs opposite actions to the ones she performed before and says the word "Abracadabra" backwards. The ghosts and other creatures disappear. Winnie casts another spell to repair her vase, curtains and chandelier.
Winnie goes back to her armchair to take another nap. She realizes that she still does not know what caused the damage in her house. Wilbur hopes that she never finds out.
Inside the house, she discovered dusty cobwebs stretching across every corner and room, and the once vibrant wallpaper was faded and peeling. Winnie couldn't help but think how it could be transformed into a magical place. She waved her wand and chanted a spell, which brought the house to life. The cobwebs turned into shimmering curtains, the faded wallpaper became enchanted tapestries, and the dusty rooms transformed into cozy nooks and magical chambers. Winnie explored each room, finding hidden treasures and delighting in the newfound magic that emanated from every corner. Flickering candles, floating books, and lively portraits all turned the house into a captivating spectacle. As word of Winnie's enchanted haunted house spread, children from all over came to experience the magic for themselves. The once desolate house became a place of wonder and laughter, filling the air with joy and enchantment. However, Winnie's actions caught the attention of the house's original ghost inhabitants. They were perplexed by the sudden change and decided to approach Winnie, hoping to find out the reason behind it. To their surprise, Winnie explained her love for magic and her desire to share her enchanted world with others. The ghosts, initially cautious, slowly warmed up to Winnie, realizing that her intentions were pure and kind-hearted. From that day forward, the ghosts and Winnie became great friends. They worked together to bring even more magic and excitement to the haunted house, creating an unforgettable experience for all who visited. Winnie the Witch's haunted house became a place where magic and ghosts coexisted harmoniously. Visitors would leave with hearts full of joy, marveling at the bond between Winnie and the ghosts and the magical transformation that took place. In the end, Winnie's adventurous spirit and her affinity for magic brought life and happiness to the once haunted house. It serves as a reminder that sometimes, the things we fear the most can hold the greatest potential for beauty and wonder..
Reviews for "Winnie the Witch's Haunted House: a Delightful Dilemma"
1. Emma - 2/5
I was really disappointed with "Winnie the witch haunted house". The storyline was so predictable and cliché. I could easily guess the ending within the first few pages. The characters were also quite flat and lacked depth. Overall, it felt like a very shallow and unoriginal read. I would not recommend it for anyone looking for a truly engaging and captivating haunted house story.
2. Mark - 1/5
"Winnie the witch haunted house" was a complete waste of time. The writing was amateurish and poorly edited, with numerous spelling and grammatical errors. The plot was incredibly weak, and the supposed scares were anything but frightening. The whole book felt like a rushed attempt to cash in on the popularity of haunted house stories, without any thought or effort put into creating a quality read. I regret picking up this book and would strongly advise others to steer clear of it.
3. Sarah - 2/5
I found "Winnie the witch haunted house" to be quite boring and uneventful. The pacing was incredibly slow, and it took forever for anything even remotely interesting to happen. The characters were also unmemorable and lacked any real development. The author seemed more focused on describing the setting and atmosphere rather than building a compelling story. I was left feeling incredibly disappointed and unsatisfied after reading this book.