The Truth about Witches

Witches have charmed us for years in popular fairy tales. Have you ever wondered what witches look like? What do you think witches use to cast spells? Hop on your broom, and fly through the pages of this book to find out the truth about witches.

Eric Braun is a children's author and editor. He has written dozens of books on many topics, and one of his books was read by an astronaut on the International Space Station for kids on Earth to watch. Eric lives in Minneapolis with his wife, two kids, and a dog who is afraid of cardboard.

When I was four or five, I was given Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are. At that age, I didn't understand the difference between a coloring book and a picture book. I enthusiastically scribbled Crayola circles all over Max and his Wild Things. Then guilt set in. I thought I had ruined the world's only copy of this wondrous book. I resolved to become an artist so I could one day replace the book I had destroyed. True story. Some families might discourage a kid who aspires to be an artist. But my grandfather, Donald G. Squier, was a portrait painter-his clients included General Patton and President Taft-so my family was used to dealing with eccentric artsy types. My parents and four brothers were happy to let me spend my childhood drawing monsters, aliens, and prehistoric beasts. I became the star artist of my kindergarten class, due mostly to my prowess at drawing Godzilla. It wasn't long before I began using my drawings to tell stories. I wrote comic strips for the school newspaper and self-published comic books. In college, my contributions to the campus paper were notorious and led to my first commercial illustration job. This led to more work and, eventually, a career as a designer and illustrator. I studied graphic design in college but found that illustration was my true calling. I just love to draw. I also enjoy the challenges of illustration: telling a story with flair and clarity and finding a style that satisfies me, my clients and an audience. I even like working within guidelines and deadlines. Over the years, I've worked in all types of traditional media: crayons, markers, rapidograph pens, letraset screen-tones, pen and ink, brush and ink, colored pencil, watercolor and acrylics. My experience working traditionally, plus years spent working as a graphic designer, has made my transition to digital painting nearly seamless. Today I enjoy working in both traditional and digital media. So far, my illustrations have appeared in fifteen published books for children. I hope that, somewhere, a kid has scribbled all over one of them.