Wizzil

Written by William Steig

Narrated by John McDonough

Wizzil the witch is very, very bored. When her bossy parrot suggests that she find someone to bother, Wizzil turns herself into a fly and buzzes off to do some mischief to the funky Frimp family. But mischief has a way of backfiring, and one spell often leads to another. It's not long before Wizzil has changed so much, she can hardly recognize herself. The zany witch's misadventures, and the sunny conclusion to her story, will quickly have you laughing out loud. Beloved author and cartoonist William Steig, winner of many Newbery and Caldecott awards, has delighted readers of all ages with books like Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and The Mud Flat Mystery. Enhanced by John McDonough's charming narration, Wizzil is sure to be a favorite story, one you will want to share with all your friends.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781470357160

William Steig

William Steig (1907-2003) was a cartoonist, illustrator and author of award-winning books for children, including Shrek!, on which the DreamWorks movies are based. Steig was born in New York City. Every member of his family was involved in the arts, and so it was no surprise when he decided to become an artist. He attended City College and the National Academy of Design. In 1930, Steig’s work began appearing in The New Yorker, where his drawings have been a popular fixture ever since. He published his first children's book, Roland the Minstrel Pig, in 1968. In 1970, Steig received the Caldecott Medal for Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. His books for children also include Dominic; The Real Thief; The Amazing Bone, a Caldecott Honor Book; Amos & Boris, a National Book Award finalist; and Abel's Island and Doctor De Soto, both Newbery Honor Books. Steig's books have also received the Christopher Award, the Irma Simonton Black Award, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and the American Book Award. His European awards include the Premio di Letteratura per l'infanzia (Italy), the Silver Pencil Award (the Netherlands), and the Prix de la Fondation de France. On the basis of his entire body of work, Steig was selected as the 1982 U.S. candidate for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal for Illustration and subsequently as the 1988 U.S. candidate for Writing. Steig also published thirteen collections of drawings for adults, beginning with About People in 1939, and including The Lonely Ones, Male/Female, The Agony in the Kindergarten, and Our Miserable Life. He died in Boston at the age of 95.

Reviews for Wizzil

[smlawrence-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A silly story with a happy ending. Wizzil, a grumpy dirty witch, is especially bored one day. Wizzil turns to her pet parrot and decides she will annoy her neighbors at the Frimp Farm, DeWitt Frimp, Fred Frimp, and Florence Frimp. Wizzil turns herself into a common horsefly, flying around DeWitt's head. DeWitt barely misses Wizzil when swatting her, so Wizzil decides to get some revenge. Wizzil turns herself into a left handed glove to annoy DeWitt even more. After a little while DeWitt finally catches on and flings the glove off in the river. As soon as the glove touches the water, Wizzil's turns back into herself. The water also washes away all of Wizil's stink and dirt and she is looks beautiful. DeWitt sees Wizzil's true beauty and they live happily ever after!

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly bored and looking for something to do one day, Wizzil the witch is influenced by her parrot companion Beatrice, and disguises herself as a fly in order to annoy local farmer DeWitt Frimp. Outraged when he attempts to squash her, Wizzil next disguises herself as a glove, causing all sorts of mayhem and misbehavior, when the farmer puts the "happy harpy on his hand." When DeWitt, finally tumbling to the sinister qualities of his new hand-wear, tosses the glove into a local stream, Wizzil is revealed. Unable to stomach the idea of any creature drowning, even if she is a nasty witch, he jumps in to save her, only to discover that the bright clear water has caused a miraculous transformation...When I realized that this witchy picture-book from renowned American children's book author William Steig - author of such picture-book favorites as Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Doctor De Soto - had been illustrated by the celebrated British artist Quentin Blake - perhaps best known for his work on Roald Dahl's books - I was quite excited! As far as I know, Wizzil is the only collaboration between the two, making it quite an interesting title for admirers of Steig and/or Blake's work. I enjoyed the story, which was told with Steig's usual sharp humor, and I thought the artwork by Blake was did an excellent job of capturing the wacky goings-on in the text. I did find myself wondering, as I was reading through, what Steig himself would have made of the characters, if he has been the illustrator as well, but that's only natural, I suppose. All in all, a solidly engaging little picture-book from these two greats - not the best from either, I would say, but still worth seeking out, particularly for those who (like me) enjoy witchy tales.