Hey friends.

It's not my regular day to blog, but I felt like it and decided to go for it, despite the schedule.

Look at me. I'm a rule breakin' rebel lady.

Anyway.

On Monday, I wrote about being a child kleptomaniac. (That's an exaggeration, but I did write about my childhood thefts.) And thinking about that got me thinking about something else: the book I always WANTED to steal from the school library, but never did: A Woggle of Witches by Adrienne Adams.

I was crazy about this book. Really crazy. I borrowed it from the school library (and then from the public library, to maximize my enjoyment) every October for approximately 10 years. And in high school, I wanted to continue the tradition, but was too paranoid/embarrassed about being seen with it at the checkout counter.

Stupid teenage brain.

I just loved this book. Loved it beyond all reason. (I mean, it's basically a picture book. On the surface, there's nothing especially special about it.) But then... there are the illustrations. Gorgeous, painterly and sort of home-spun at the same time.

And the prose! The story opens with the following:

"In a dark, dense forest the witches live,
sleeping safely in the branches of tall trees..."

I mean, come on. That's good stuff, right there.

Originally published in 1971, I think A Woggle of Witches was reissued in the mid 1980s. It's out of print now, of course, but if you have a kid (and even if you don't) I highly recommend you try to get your hands on a used copy for your personal library.

I can't think of a single children's book that better captures the creepy wonderfulness that is Halloween.

I almost wish I'd stolen it when I had the chance.

(Just kidding. I'll just find a used copy online.)

Happy haunting, y'all. I just love this time of year.