2nd Edition

​

In the deep, dark forest, beavers boogie and trees harmonize off-key, for Amanda the witch is up to her old wand-waving tricks! But when she offers to grant a grumpy toad three wishes, the result is near-disaster. The toad wants to trade places with Amanda so he can have some spell-casting fun - and he has lots of magical pranks he can't wait to play. Will the forest now be forever populated by purple rabbits, flower-antlered deer, and tiny bears? Don't bet on it! Amanda may be only a frumpy toad, but she still has a few tricks under her hat.

​

"With whimsical humor and wacky illustrations, John Himmelman has created an entertaining tale sure to cast a spell of laughter."

 

Amanda and the Witch Switch was first published in 1985 by Viking Kestrel. The spark for the story came from a few sketches I did, sitting on a rock one winter morning. I wasn't sure where I was going with them, if anywhere, as was typical of the sketches in my sketchbooks. Those drawings grew into this story once I filled in the blanks of what that witch, and toad, were up to.

 

Look for the ladybug in several of the pictures. It was the beginning of me adding a little something to look for in books that followed.