Histria Books is pleased to announce the release of Winnie and Wilbur: Winnie the Witch & Winnie and Wilbur: Looking For Wilbur by Valerie Thomas. These stories are published by Histria Kids, an imprint of Histria Books dedicated to outstanding works for children that both educate and entertain.
Winnie the Witch and Looking for Wilbur bring together two bright, mischievous stories featuring Winnie, her black cat Wilbur, and the kind of everyday predicaments that only seem to get bigger when magic is involved. Children can follow Winnie’s latest plans as they take unexpected turns, while Wilbur’s expressions and resistance provide plenty to spot and laugh at on every page.
These are books made for children who enjoy joining in. The stories invite them to anticipate the next muddle, notice the visual jokes, and take Wilbur’s side when Winnie gets carried away. Winnie is gloriously confident, inventive and slightly chaotic, which makes her feel far more fun than a tidy, lesson-giving character. The artwork is packed with color and detail, rewarding repeat reads at home, in the classroom, or at bedtime. For a new generation of readers, these adventures offer big laughs, a warm-hearted witch-and-cat friendship, and the satisfying freedom of seeing mistakes turn into something memorable.
Praise for the Winnie and Wilbur series:Â
Vivid and wondrous — The Sunday Times
Paul’s artwork is as dynamic and arresting as ever. His comic touch is perfectly judged, stretching the simple story within reach of a wide age group. — The Guardian
Pure magic! — The Times
Valerie Thomas is an Australian author, teacher, educational researcher and curriculum consultant specialising in spelling. A keen traveller, she began her publishing career with an account of picking grapes during the champagne harvest in France. In 1987, her hugely successful children’s classic Winnie the Witch, illustrated by Korky Paul, was published by Oxford University Press; the pair won the Children’s Book Award that year. Valerie’s much-loved Winnie stories have since taken readers on magical adventures featuring extraordinary pumpkins, flying carpets and baby dragons. Korky Paul is an award-winning Zimbabwe-born illustrator who studied Fine Art in South Africa and Film Animation in California before beginning his career in advertising, and has brought Valerie Thomas’s magical world to life for generations of young readers.
