Zulema and the Witch Owl / Zulema Y La Bruja Lechuza
Grade 1-4–Nine-year-old Zulema is about to lose her reputation for being the meanest girl in the whole wide world. From throwing rocks at people who did not buy her Girl Scout cookies to making dogs and kittens swing around until they spin like airplane propellers, she is a terror. Then a visit from her grandmother changes her behavior. Sabina advises her that if she does not mend her ways, the Witch Owl will take her away. Garza effectively portrays this threat in his artwork by bringing the characters closer and closer to readers' faces. His whimsical illustrations create a feeling of being inside the scenes. As in his other books, his passion for heroes, wrestling, and creepy creatures is in evidence. The transformation of Sabina into the Big Owl helps create suspense. The end of the story remains open: an owl feather is falling from Grandmother's hair. Could she be the Witch Owl? This title offers suspense, fun, and surprise.–Irania Macías Patterson,Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, NCCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.