I have this book, and I do say, it's worth getting the hardcover copy! The pictures are so cute, and the storyline is so original. This is one of my very favorite books of all time!

This was one of my favorite books when I was little. My parents accidentally gave away my copy when I was 10. I was thrilled to find a copy in a used bookstore when I was in college. I have since purchased 5 copies from various book and antique stores and have gladly passed them on to my nephew and several new cousins. I am delighted to find it back in print so that I can continue to share it with each new family member.

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I was so excited to read it to my own son. I have my original hardcover from 1969 that I recently discoved in an old box. What a find! I still laugh when I read it. Do yourself and your children a favor and get this book.

I first read Old Black witch when I was seven years old. That was thirty two years ago. I recently ran across the book at the library while there with my eight year old daughter. I was so delighted to see her again with her fat little body, beedy eyes and funny pointed shoes. As I read this book to my own daughter. I found myself falling in love with it all over again. When old black witch makes her room in the dusty attic, complaining all the way, she sits upon a cozy patch work quilt. Her head is tilted, looking into the spider web above her bed for comfort. My heart breaks for the funny little wonderful creature that she is, and how wonderfully she is represented in the illustrations. Old Black Witch speaks volumes about the unspoken love between children and their elders, especially those elders who may not be as demonstrative as they could be. Though old black witch is grumpy and difficult, Nickey knows that "she really is a good witch." And we know that Old Black Witch loves Nickey and will always watch over him. The story is a simple one, nicely told, of a displaced boy and his mother looking for a life. They find a family and a place in the world when they enter the domain of Old Black Witch. What really makes this story magical though are the illustrations, filled with bright 1960's color and detail and yet they are timeless. Just the tilt of OBW's head as she sits upon that quilt is and will always be a master piece to me. I'm so glad to see she's still around.

Not many books my children had read to them as little ones made any impression. Old Black Witch did. We read that book so many times the cover disappeared. The illustrations are wonderful and the story of the triumph of a single mom was certainly ahead of its time. The book is a great model of tolerance and cooperation.

This was the first book I learned to read all by myself. That was almost 30 years ago! I can't believe it's still in print, but I'm so glad it is. I'm going to be getting a copy for my great-nephew's 3rd birthday in May. The reading level is more appropriate for a 4-6 year old, but he'll "grow" into it. It's a really great story that inspired my young imagination. Besides, even at 3 years, he'll be able to appreciate the absolutely splendid watercolor illustrations. I can actually remember the SMELL of the book just by thinking about it now! My copy had a recipe for blueberry pancakes either on the inside or outside back cover. I can't remember, because I tore it off to give to my mom so she could make some! I still have my copy, by the way - minus the back cover. Many thanks to the Devlins for so many wonderful memories - and for creating the first of my thousands of adventures in reading!

We read this book after Cranberry Thanksgiving and found it just as wonderful. Maggie needs new school clothes and grandmother needs a new winter coat, so they have an antique sale in Cranberryport to raise the money. This is a lesson in itself for children in these days. Good again triumphs over evil in a situation between Mr. Whiskers and Mr. Grape. We enjoyed reading this book so much, we plan to read all of the "Cranberry" books that we can find!

Our Grade Two class loves to celebrate the holidays with a visit to Cranberryport. Cranberry Valentine is a great book to read on Valentine's Day. We especially liked this book because it showed us that friends are always there when you need them. As in all the other Cranberry books Mr. Whiskers was there to lead us on another fun adventure with Maggie,Grandmother, and all the other Cranberryport friends. Grandmother is the best cook in Cranberryport and we love to try her recipes that are included in each book. We recommend this book to Everyone! Our favourite saying is "suffering codfish".

It's an exceptional book that can give rise to a family tradition. The story of "Cranberry Thanksgiving" centers around Grandmother's Famous Cranberry Bread, and the recipe for the bread is on the back cover of the book. My mom and I read the book and made the bread for the first time when I was 4 years old, and 32 years later the tradition is still going strong. I still enjoy going to the bookshelf in the weeks before Thanksgiving to find this book and bake the bread.

The book's story is engaging, the illustrations are lovely, and the characters are memorable - who could forget wild Mr. Whiskers or snooty Mr. Horace? There's even a moral for those who like morals - don't judge a book by its cover.

Who cares if the silver spoons don't match, or if the red hall carpet is worn and mended?!!!
Thanksgiving is here and it's time for grandmother's famous cranberry bread!!!!! I can almost smell it! It is a secret recipe, hidden in the...,,,, well, I'll let you find out for yourself when you read the story.
Maggie and her grandmother live at the edge of a cranberry bog.
Maggie has invited Mr. Whiskers over for Thanksgiving dinner and grandmother is not too pleased at the thought of him in the house! After all, he smells like seaweed! But each year she tells Maggie, "invite someone poor or lonely", so Maggie invites Mr. Whiskers.
Mr. Whiskers actually ends up saving the day!
The pictures in this book are very warm and charming, and the story holds the interest of my squirmy 2 year old, as well as my older children.
We read it often and have even baked the cranberry bread from the recipe included in the book. It's yummy!
A delightful story for Thanksgiving or any time!~

when i was in the third grade, my teacher mrs. higgenbotham read us this book, and then we made the cranberry bread in class- i thought that it was the greatest thing back then, even though everyone hated the cranberries! i am so excited to have found this book again and cannot wait to share it with my stepsister who is in the 3rd grade this year- im sure she'll hate the cranberries as well, but im also sure she'll love the book-

As with all of the Devlin books, "A Kiss for a Warthog" is an absolute treasure for bedtime reading. The story language invites shifts in voice and sound that captivate. The book is a staple of bedtime reading at home.

A Kiss For A Warthog is a wonderful book. As a child, I would make my mother read it to me over and over again. As an adult, I get the same childish delight in reading this book about a warthog awaiting a kiss from reluctant humans. This is a very well written book with great illustrations. I can't help but laugh everytime I see one particular picture in the book when Allegra the warthog is puckered up to receive a kiss- with all her whiskers and warts standing out! I will someday read this story to my children and grandchildren. This story is great for all ages and I thoroughly recommend it!

Harry Devlin's a Liverpool lawyer who's also a "recidivist amateur sleuth....as keen on mysteries as some people are on sex." He can't help his passion for solving mysteries: violent or unexpected death has been part of his experience since he was a little boy. In Eve of Destructionit comes to him--improbably--through tape recordings.

Liverpool is "England's largest village" so Devlin's used to running into people he knows. But even he's surprised when a client seeking a divorce plays Devlin tapes he recorded of his wife on the phone with her lover. Devlin recognizes the man's voice and starts his own investigation without telling his client what he knows. Before long everything starts to come out in the wake of brutal murders which point directly at his client.

Devlin's client is a landscaper with a talent for building mazes, and Devlin finds himself lost in a maze of lust and rage. Eve of Destruction is an engaging no-frills mystery with characters you can care about and an enjoyably complex plot.

Lev Raphael, author of LITTLE MISS EVIL, the 4th Nick Hoffman mystery.

Bank Manager Mark Brown sends nursery owner Steven Whyatt to Liverpool solicitor Harry Devlin, in order to obtain legal advice on a matrimony problem. Steven unequivocally states that his spouse, Becky, is having an affair with his evidence being the cassette tapes from his wire tapping their phone. Though his potential client does not recognize the voice of Becky's lover, Harry does. He knows the other man is Dominic Revill, a staffing consultant.

Since Harry's firm is about to lose their receptionist anyway, he goes to Revill on the pretense of hiring the man to fill the vacancy. However, what seems to be a simple case of marital infidelity takes a twist when Becky, Dominic, and a nanny are found murdered in a church and his client is the obvious suspect.

If readers are willing to take a leap of faith, they will absolutely enjoy EVE OF DESTRUCTION. The story line is intriguing as the identity of who is doing what to whom remain a mystery in spite of the evidence to be found in the tapes that Harry listens to throughout the book. Harry is a wonderful character even though readers will wonder how he could naively accept at face value his client's Still, Martin Edwards has scribed a fabulous tale due to Harry's battered, but still ticking personality tossed inside a Rubik's Cube.

Harriet Klausner

A neat story, but the text runs long. It reads like a Scoobey Doo cartoon adventure, and at times, can be confusing to children. This is one book to get from your local library, and save your money for a Halloween book like "Too Many Pumpkins" by Linda White.