About this item
A witch-themed picture book unlike any other - it's nonfiction!. Most people, kids included, have very specific associations with "witch" - perhaps a scheming, warted, and/or green-faced woman in a pointy hat and heels, brewing a potion with gruesome ingredients intended for harm or dark magic. And though witches are real, none of that is actually true! Over many centuries, knowledgeable, powerful, and healing women have been demonized by men who fear a loss of power or pride. And through those same centuries, certain people have passed down their lived and learned knowledge of nature's power to heal. Those who identify as witches today are most often natural healers whose wisdom serves to help those around them.. Written in a conversational, engaging tone, and illustrated in an accessible and appealing style, this book dispels stereotypes and expands young readers' knowledge of what it means to be a REAL witch.
About the Author
Gabrielle Balkan writes for readers of all ages, equally enjoying picture books and readers as chapter books and young adult fiction. Her works include The Dog Rules by Coco LaRue, a Scholastic Book Fairs best-seller that sold 150,000 copies and demanded a follow-up. One of her first forays into writing nonfiction was "America is hard to See," a children's audio guide for the the inaugural exhibit at the Whitney Museum of Art's Gansevoort location. The 50 States was Gabrielle's first non-fiction book and was followed by two companion books, two activity sets, one follow-up atlas: 50 Cities. She's also the author of BOOK OF BONES (an International Literacy Association pick) and it's companion, BOOK OF FLIGHT (coming in Spring 2019) .Before embarking on a career as a full-time writer, Gabrielle was a book buyer for the Scholastic Reading Clubs, a commissioning editor for Scholastic Paperbacks, and the Director of Communications for City and Country School. Gabrielle was raised across from the State Fair Grounds in Indianapolis, Indiana and lived short stints in Augusta, Georgia and Zurich, Switzerland. After graduating with a degree in English and Elementary Education from Barnard College she decided to see what else the city had to offer, and now lives with her family in Brooklyn.
