From the blurb:
'In a magical bakery by the sea,
live a witch and a witch-to-be...'
What a sweet (in every way!) little witchy chapter book for children, that was clearly inspired by 'Kiki's Delivery Service' - Kiki even appears on one page, drinking juice with an old lady on the terrace of a seaside café!
'Witchycakes #1: Sweet Magic' also reminds me of 'Sunday The Sea Witch', 'Witch in Training', 'The Witching Hour', 'My Mummy is a Witch', 'Little Witch's To-Do List', 'Doughnuts and Doom', 'Crumble', 'Pizza Witch', 'Flying Witch', and 'Sabrina' and 'Hilda', with a light dash of 'Mooncakes' and 'Legends & Lattes' to go with the flavouring. It's a bitsy-witchy of what I imagine 'Books, Iced Coffee & a Side of Dragons' will be like.
It is about Blue, a little blue-haired, sunhat-and-sandals-and-overalls-wearing witch-in-training, who delivers baked goods from their Mama Moon's bakery, to people in their quaint and ordinary seaside town, Shellville.
As Blue helps their varied neighbours with their varied problems, they learn that not everything can be solved with magic. No quick and easy spells. No sprinkle of magical dust. Sometimes a pinch of flour, sugar, or crumbs can do the trick. Hard work, a helping hand, and just listening to people are just as effective and rewarding as using any real magic, if not more so.
Focus on people as well as your spells.
Finding spells can be about looking for what's in hearts as well as what's exterior.
How fulfilling, sweet and adorable.
And those cakes, muffins, tarts, crumbles, biscuits (apparently called 'raspberry sandbars' here? Which sounds very odd to me), buns, pies, bread loaves, pancakes, fries, jam jars, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and more! So many treats and groceries are represented in this darling wickle book!
Shellville looks absolutely cute and colourful and peaceful! As it's written in the book, 'Their village looks like an enchanted town from a fairy tale, the kind Mama Moon reads to Blue before bed.' (page 18). I'd love to live somewhere like it!
As if the cuteness and preciousness factor wasn't high enough, in this mini witch lit cauldron there also lie shells, sea glass, a bottle of full moon water, a lucky rabbit's foot, Blue's seagull familiar (Gully), Mama Moon's cat familiar (Pearl), a guinea pig (Barnacle), a deceased pug (Marina) (okay, that's less cute and more sad, but still, it works well with the grief theme presented by the end of the story), crescent moons, and so much of the seaside magic aesthetic (no broomsticks here, only a delivery bicycle). It's a pity there isn't a mermaid in sight, actually. Or a selkie. That would have been perfect.
Oh, and of course there is POC and LBGTQA+ representation. Blue is referred to by they/them pronouns, and the seaside café is owned by the married Spinnakers, Cliff and Derrick, who have a son, Jib, the owner of Barnacle the guinea pig, who is Blue's age (Jib, not Barnacle).
The only thing I'm iffy about 'Witchycakes #1: Sweet Magic' is the inconsistent way the issue of consent is raised. At the beginning, Mama Moon uses 'soothing magic' on the confrontational, talking sentient animal familiars, Gully and Pearl, without their consent, to 'quiet' them. Then it is used by Blue after they specifically ask for permission from people like Jib and Mr. Haddock the grocer, who is grieving for his pug Marina. Then there is the dubious way Blue treats Mrs. Sanderson, an exhausted, stressed and overworked mother of four; I highly doubt Blue didn't use magic on her to make her fall asleep without her consent...
I really hope Mama Moon and Blue never use magical
But apart from that, 'Witchycakes #1: Sweet Magic' is a lighthearted, soft, cosy, funny, charming and charmed little witchy book that comes with a big recommendation from me.
A slice-of-life-and-crumble-with-whipped-cream mini witch delivery chapter chronicle that can be inhaled in under an hour. I'm glad books like it exist for children to read.
'In a village by the sea
live a witch and a witch-to-be.
Life is sweet and never dull,
and it's always, always magical.'
It comes with a recipe for 'Mama Moon's Beach Crumble' (from her 'beach plum crumble') at the end, too!
What multiple, magical treats!
Final Score: 3.5/5
