Welcome back to the third week of our Summer Book Club, summer readers! This week we will dive into Little Witch Hazel by Phoebe Wahl. We are big Phoebe Wahl fans at Bella Luna Toys and Little Witch Hazel epitomizes all the reasons why! Told through incredible illustrations, simple text, adorable characters, and sweet storylines, Phoebe Wahl has created a timeless classic that will be read over and over.
Little Witch Hazel is an ode to the wonders of nature, friendship, the magic of the forest, and the joy of the seasons. We love following Little Witch Hazel as she helps the forest creatures both big and small. Little Witch Hazel is an enduring character who is at once a fearless explorer, a midwife, and a caring friend. In this four-season volume, she rescues an orphaned egg, goes sailing on a raft, solves the mystery of a haunted stump and makes house calls to fellow forest dwellers. Oh the adventures!
Today we will read the Summer section of the book, titled "The Lazy Day." In the story, Little Witch Hazel feels like the only one in the forest who has things to do until she boards a raft with her friends and learns that not everything has to get done right away! Follow along on a magical forest adventure where rich illustrations and nature themes rule supreme.
See Little Witch Hazel at Bella Luna Toys
Day One: Read & Discuss
On day one of our Book Club, we read the story. You can read it aloud with your children, or tune into our Instagram stories (also saved in the Book Club highlight) to watch as we read it aloud. Then, take some time to discuss the book together. Let your children tell you what they thought of the story and ask any questions, or give any observations. We also prepared a few discussion questions to get the conversations going if you'd like to use them:
Have you ever had a day where things just weren’t going your way? How did you change your mood and make things feel better?
Have you ever made a raft out of sticks? What materials would you use to make your raft hold together? Imagine all of the tiny friends from the Lazy Day climbing on your raft and going for a float down a river!
Imagine you are as small as Little Witch Hazel and her friends, can you picture what the forest around you would look like?
What if one morning you wake up in Mosswood Forest. Which season would you most like it to be? Which character from the book would you choose to be from the book? And how would you like living in this magical forest?
Day Two: Draw & Write
Print writing and drawing templates here.
Imagine a perfect lazy summer day and write or draw what would make it the best day ever. Maybe you build a raft and float down a river like Little Witch Hazel and her friends or would you have a beach picnic and make giant sandcastles all day? Maybe your day wouldn't be lazy at all!
Then, look at the detailed map of Mosswood Forest that is on the endpapers when you open the book. Think about your own neighborhood and draw a map of it. Are there any details that Little Witch Hazel might include that might not be on a typical map? Can you imagine spending your perfect lazy summer day here?
Day Three: Craft Your Own Fairy Door
- Cardboard
- Craft Knife
- Low Temp Glue Gun
- Found objects for decoration ex. Moss, sticks, yarn, buttons, wood scraps, leaves, flowers, stones, etc.
Draw a 4-6 inch tall fairy door on a piece of paper. Cut this out and use it as a template to trace the door onto the cardboard. Include any details that you plan to cut out, like windows.
Trace it a second time to create the inside of the door. Do not cut out any windows or shapes.
Use it again to draw a third larger shape, allowing for extra margin around the sides and top of the door. This is where you will glue on decorations.
You should end up with 3 shapes to cut out with your craft blade. The base, back of the door and front door. Paint each piece however you'd like. We used sparkly glitter on the middle layer so when you opened the door, it lead to a magical fairy portal!
Use the glue gun to attach the middle layer to the base/background, aligning them so they are flat on the bottom.
Fold the front door where you want it to hinge and use your craft knife to lightly score it along this line. Do not cut all the way through.
Use the glue gun to glue this small flap onto the center door. Your fairy door should now be able to open and close.
Use the found objects to decorate your door to your heart's desire!
Now you can decide where you think your fairy friends homes are, and place the door there so they can come and go from their world to ours as they please. Don't forget to leave them offerings of flowers or special rocks or acorns, anything you think they would enjoy! They might just leave you an offering in return.
Love this book and your fairy door craft idea! Can’t wait to try it with my kids. I will definitely be following along with your book club. Thank you 💚🧚
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