Alice Nizzy Nazzy

The author has transported the Russian folklore figure Baba Yaga to the Southwestern United States and renamed her Alice Nizzy Nazzy. Like the folklore witch, Alice likes to eat children. Imagine the danger when little Manuela’s sheep ventures into her realm. Even Alice’s house is dangerous; it is surrounded by cactus, which follows the fleet-footed house through the desert. The nasty villain has a horned lizard for a pet. The author does a good job in updating this story and creating such a brave heroine, but I have a partiality to the illustrations of Tomie dePaola, which add so much to the tale. The pictures are desert beautiful, with reds, blues, and oranges staging the scenes. There are classic illustrators of children’s literature, and dePaola is paramount among them. The author has written over one hundred other books. Even though we know that poor Manuela will end up in the cooking pot, she is sure to overcome this unfortunate obstacle. This tale is sure to be scary enough to delight and charm any child, regardless of their age.