On Duty: I Am a Witch's Cat by Harriet Muncaster

MY MOM IS A WITCH AND I AM HER SPECIAL WITCH'S CAT!

Our girl is observant, and all the evidence points to her conclusion: Mom is a witch!

There are bottles and vials of potions on the vanity in the bathroom that Mom forbids her to touch!

Mom stocks up on jars of green and red eyeballs and warty little green fingers!

She has an garden with strong-smelling herbs which she picks and dries in little bundles!

Her friends gather sometimes at night, sitting in a circle and cackling a lot!

She can make a cut finger or scraped knee stop hurting instantly!

Cauldrons simmer and steam on the stove! And she has a very nice broom!

The only thing a good witch like her mom needs is a familiar, a special companion animal to sit on her lap and help her in the garden.

It's a hard job but somebody has to do it! And our girl has a head-to-toe cat costume, complete with ears and tail, so she's all set to be the witch's cat, ready to go on duty or to hop on the broom at any time her mom says the magic words.

Harriet Muncaster's latest, I Am a Witch's Cat (Harper, 2014), features a fetching little witch's familiar, her darling daughter, ready for action on Halloween or any time at all. Muncaster's readers will giggle at the little girl's interpretation of her mom's beauty creams as potions and her jars of stuffed olives and gherkins as eyeballs and shrunken green fingers, and the author's charming multimedia artwork extends the simple text humorously by slyly and subtly revealing the true nature of Mom's supposed magic craft to sharp-eyed readers. Publishers Weekly gives this one a starred review, and Kirkus Reviews adds, "This heartwarming look at the close bond between mother and daughter stands out for its clever twist and stunningly detailed artwork."