The neighborhood children face off against the eponymous Pomegranate Witch in this delightful rhyming Halloween picture-book from author/illustrator team Denise Doyen and Eliza Wheeler. Wise to their ways, the experienced witch manages to mostly defend her fruit, despite multiple creative incursions on the children's part. One sneak thief manages to make off with a single pomegranate, but that's it. Until, that is, the Halloween night party thrown by the witch's sister, the Kindly Lady, during which each is given a precious piece of fruit of their own...

The Pomegranate Witch is only the second picture-book from Doyen, following upon her 2009 Once Upon a Twice, but given my enjoyment of that earlier title, and my appreciation for Wheeler's artwork in other books, I picked it up with a great deal of anticipation. My fondness for witchy tales of all sorts probably also whetted my appetite. However that may be, what I discovered upon reading it was a cleverly inventive text, an engaging story, and charming illustrations. The rhyme scheme here works well, as do the made-up portmanteau words that Doyen employs, while the artwork capture both the fun of the 'Pomegranate War' and the spookiness of the Witch and her tree. This is a bit text-heavy for a picture-book, so I'd recommend it primarily to older children, who are looking for fun new witchy tales for Halloween. ( )