My Wicked Stepmother - Hardcover

Leach, Norman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1856811131 ISBN 13: 9781856811132

Publisher: Random House UK, 1992

Synopsis

When his father remarries, seven-year-old Tom has trouble accepting his new stepmother

About this title

From Publishers Weekly:

Sadly, Leach did not live to see finished copies of his moving first book. Browne's ( Sing Me a Story ; The Little One ) finely detailed, realistic pictures convincingly communicate the range--and depth--of emotions experienced by Tom, the story's young narrator. He insists that his new stepmother, who has come to live with him and his dad, is a witch. Yet, although she is pictured wearing a long black dress and boots, stroking a black cat and stirring a cauldron-like pot on the stove, the woman's behavior is anything but witchy. In fact, she alone knows exactly what to say when Tom's friends belittle his new Robin Hood and Superman outfits, cheat at games during his birthday party and even blow out the candles on his cake before he can. Still the boy holds back, acknowledging that he has misjudged her character only after she breaks into tears when he refuses to kiss her goodnight. Whether or not youngsters have had to adjust to the presence of a new stepparent, they will feel the emotional impact of Leach's deceptively simple story. Its message and visual images linger long after the last page is read. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews:

Though his new stepmother, Annie, is unfailingly kind and tries to share Tom's imaginative games when friends Jack and David put him down (``Superman's boring! I've got a Batman cape''), Tom refuses to respond (``I don't smile at wicked stepmothers''). Even after she stands up to the rude boys, who almost spoil Tom's birthday, he refuses to give her a goodnight kiss--until Annie's tears melt the barrier and the two become friends at last. The story (Leach's first; he has recently died) is simply told, with vocabulary referring to witches (``she might turn me into a frog'') adroitly conveying the feelings of a little boy who enjoys the world of fantasy. Browne, whose clean designs and precise modeling echo her renowned husband Anthony's art, brings unusual insight to her appealing watercolors, dressing Annie in black, slyly incorporating other witchy details (a spider plant), and tenderly revealing emotion through posture as well as facial expressions. Pair this with Rosenberg's Monster Mama (p. 153) for a provocative contrast. (Picture book. 4-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 1856811131
• ISBN 13: 9781856811132
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32