Witches in children's books

What an interesting thread. I too loved witch tales. Much more interesting than princesses. I loved dark fairytales too. Any recommendations for an adult to dip back in? I have only boys myself so never really read much more witch fiction than Harry Potter.

Meg and Mog

Well it didn't work on me. I thought they were so cool!!! 😁

My children think of The Enchanted Forest Chronicles for witch references Morwen is utterly brilliant
(Patricia Wrede)

my kids love witches! Sometimes we even joke my DM is a white witch. I think it's just a tradition to have them in stories.

OP, you make a good point.

Isn't it interesting how the concept of 'witches'-still play a part in our infant/junior reading schemes?!

My DSs did, was it Oxford Reading Tree? And DS1, in Y2, brought one home, about a ghost. A little boy was racing through the rooms of their empty, newly bought house, when he encounters 'a ghost', a girl. She's cut her hand and is running from room to room, dripping blood. The boy helps her.

I totally expected a rational explanation- the ex-caretaker's daughter, etc. But no. She really was a ghost.

I made a comment to school, along the lines that I spend A LOT of time keeping my primary school DSs away from the concept of the supernatural....

Unlike my childhood where we were allowed to buy '10 great American Ghost Stories' , and something like 'The Puffin book of ghosts'- with our pocket money, aged 10, in WHSmiths, Salisbury.

'Dunwich Horror', anyone? (Look it up!)

My DSs are now young adults. Apart from one small, easily dispelled incident with DS2, aged 4, we've literally had no 'monster under the bed', 'ghosts in the bathroom' incidents.

However, I do understand the place of folklore! But that'd be me, telling my DSs about ancient beliefs in tree spirits, etc!

I really like Which Witch? Even though the context isn’t very feminist, because it’s so tongue in cheek about magical beings. Main character is a good witch trying to pretend to be a bad one.

I appreciate that the historical context is way more complicated and difficult.

My theory is that they are drawn to them because witches can be good/bad/a mix of the two but are always powerful and interesting

They're a wonderful antidote to the expectations placed on girls to be good and kind. That's why JKR's post is so powerful, they're women who may be good, may be bad, but don't care what you think either way.

My dd and many of her friends love witches. Even the wicked ones, although most of the witches they read and watch are good witches (Mildred Hubble etc). Witches and magic feature in so many of their games and make believe, including some darker storylines.

My theory is that they are drawn to them because witches can be good/bad/a mix of the two but are always powerful and interesting. Although some modern fictional witches are pretty, many are not and it has no bearing on their power or on how interesting they are. I personally wouldn't want to see witches disappear from children's fiction!

There are so many different kinds of witches in literature, and history. They represent so many different things. The wicked witch trope is infuriating, but it's utterly superficial. I always found witches thrilling as a child because in the books I read they seemed to weald such unearthly and insurmountable power. I enjoy reading The Everyday Witch by Liz Martinez with my girls. There's a lovely message at the end.

Both kinds of stories are compelling when they are well told because they are both true representations.

Cressida Cowell’s Wizards of Once has a Kingwitch.

Yes, I can see what you mean, OP. However, I think in childhood there is a huge need for certain archetypal figures, especially the 'baddies'. I think it might be worth adding in more of the 'good witch' type of character than trying to do away with the 'bad witch', whitch seems to tap into some very deep rooted gleeful fascination. It's probably even a mother archetype, isn't it?

I have a lovely picture book called 'Babbit' with a really cute, if slightly scary witch in it. Ooh, and there's Dorrit, too.

I like books both with wicked witches and other types of witches. Just like I like books with evil male wizards and positive male wizards.

I also think the portrayal of witches is becoming more positive.
I loved the JKR This Witch won't Burn tweet earlier in the week (Not sure of the exact wording)
I feel it is portrayed as they can't keep strong independent woman down.

And also a force for not giving a crap about anyone else's opinions, which is possibly the best thing about witches.

I'd take a witch over a princess every day of the week, including the sabbath.

You have a point re the 'wicked witches' in traditional fairy tales. But latterly they're powerful girls and women - sometimes old women. Mostly a force for good.

I think it’s an interesting point. Re positive gollywog characters (feels weird even typing that), we had a much loved book called Little Black Sambo which obviously drew on crude stereotypes visually but the character was a cool little boy who diced with death and won (and some tigers turned into butter in the process). It was a great story though obviously it had to go.

Sophie in Howl's moving castle is pretty awesome.

Winnie the witch is a personal hero of mine!

I feel like it's part of a historical tradition of vilifying and persecuting wise women and I don't understand why it's not seen in the same way as giving children Golliwog dolls to play with

I don't know of any works that give Golliwogs the space to be nuanced characters - they may exist - whereas there are plenty of works that present 'witches' in a positive light.

I think you're right to be wary about the portrayal of witches - but you will easily find work that counteracts those stereotypes. (The witch is a more popular figure than the Golliwog in myth/folklore - you can't avoid it - but you can offer up plenty of alternatives to the 'evil woman' trope.)

Dahl's writing is riddled with misogyny. I chose never to use his work in the classroom for that reason.