Description
Three brothers, ignoring their mother’s warnings, enter a dark and mysterious wood, where anything can happen. The youngest, afraid and aware of the danger, tries to warn his two elder brothers, but he has to take a decision and ends up going with them. As they don’t know the way back, they decide to enter the witch’s house, smelling of food…
Tales and legends about witches constitute a live and abundant compendium, practically universal. Quite often, children personify their fears in the form of wicked characters with a human appearance. To earn trust and overcome fears, there is nothing like listening to tales where the main characters triumph over the frightening beings, created in the imagination.
The character of the child eating witch who lives in a little house in the middle of the woods, appears in the common oral tradition in many countries, (Turkey, Russia, Europe…), and rely on ancient literary backgrounds. The tooth gnashing witch presents a hybrid character, with narrative elements taken from these cultures.
In this daring adventure, the youngest brother is the only one capable of seeing clearly, (recognising the witch’s house and mistrusting the apparent attraction of the unknown…), not letting himself to be taken in by urges and self satisfaction.
If at the beginning of the story, the elder brothers make fun of the youngest, thinking him to be fearful and little, the outcome transmits the idea of, even though somebody is considered insignificant, that person will be able to overcome the difficulties; in the end, it will be the youngest, by astuteness and intelligence, who takes the initiative and faces up to the seriousness of the situation.
The tooth gnashing witch has some exceptional illustrations, by the Italian artist Maurizio A. C. Quarello. He presents over-whelming images that create contrasts and light and shade atmospheres lending the book an air full of suspense. In contrast, the illustrator offers a second reading, full of humour in the details, always entertaining which invite us to discover through each reading some new and surprising detail yet to be discovered.
Text by Tina Meroto, from a popular Turkish-Russian tale
Illustrations by Maurizio A. C. Quarello
Translation by Mark W. Heslop
