Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 181

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

You never need to fear to get attacked by sharks in your home if you have the Great Shark Hunter around who takes care of them for you.

Unless he fraternizes and Bruce becomes his best friend, that is ... (thank you to my family member for allowing me to use these pictures of their cutie!)

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from "The Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda" by Christianna Brand which includes the three books "Nurse Matilda" (from which today's snippets are), "Nurse Matilda Goes to Town", and "Nurse Matilda Goes to Hospital".
The books which were published between 1964 and 1974 are based on stories Brand and her cousin Edward Ardizzone were told by their great-grandfather. They inspired the Nanny McPhee movies with Emma Thompson.
I chose the book for Ardizzone's illustrations (see my post about Eleanor Estes's book "The Witch Family") after seeing them in the gallery on the "Edward Ardizzone Archive".

Beginning:
"Once upon a time there was a huge family of children; and they were terribly, terribly naughty.
In those days, mothers and fathers used to have much larger families than they do now; and these large families often were naughty. The mothers and fathers had to have all sorts of nurses and nannies and governesses (who were often French or German) to look after all their naughty children: and usually one poor, skinny little nursery-maid to wait on all the nurses and governesses and nannies ..."

Page 56:
"In those days, when there were such big families, they needed lots of people to look after them, and the houses were divided into two parts: very often by a door covered with baize - green or red - and studded with big, round brass nails."

Being from a large family myself (completely without a nanny or governess 😉), I wonder what these kids will be up to.

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Grace Filled Moments.

Paula from Grace Filled Moments says: "Hey everyone, I’m just your ordinary Christian woman trying to navigate the beautiful chaos of everyday life. Just traversing through the wilderness of the everyday mess— and finding beauty from ashes.
I’m a retired social worker by trade (BSW, if you’re wondering!). I live in Western Pennsylvania with my furry best friend, Little Girl, a spoiled rotten beagle who brings endless amusement to my days. My two daughters are all grown up and on their own.
Life for me comes with a side of invisible chronic illness. Fibromyalgia, chronic pain, “complicated” migraines that seem to take on a life of their own, trigeminal neuralgia (don’t even get me started!), and anxiety for good measure.
But that’s just part of my story! And it’s a story I share because I know others are facing similar challenges. Those “you too?!” moments? Yeah, we’ve all been there. I love encouraging others battling invisible illnesses – to let them know they’re not alone in this messy journey."

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up (English/Dutch).

Kathrine is mad for plaid with a new shacket.

Mireille shows beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the Keys.

Nicole asks how many winter coats you need.

Jeanie shares pictures of the Skeleton Walk.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - Falling Leaves

I had planned to look for some autumnal silent movies, but only found this one to have a vague connection to the season.
Actually I had heard about this film before because it's one from the Solax Studios directed by Alice Guy-Blaché - "Falling Leaves" from 1912 (original title: Les Feuilles chéant).

This is the plot (with spoilers).

First, we meet bacteriologist Dr. Earl Hadley who "exhibits the result of his wonderful cure for consumption" by showing off patients he has cured.

Then we're with the Thompsons. Winifred, the older daughter, is sick with consumption. When she collapses, the doctor is called in and the news are not good.
He lets the parents know that "when the last leaf falls, she will have passed away".

Little Trixie is very worried and tries to think of a way to help her sister. Suddenly she has an idea.

She takes a ball of string, goes outside in the garden, and starts tying the fallen leaves back up to the branches because, if the leaves don't fall, Winifred will get well again, right?
Just at that moment, Dr. Hadley walks by and asks her what she's doing. She explains and he tells the family that he can help with his "wonderful serum" which he happens to have on him.

Three months later, Winifred is so much better that she eats with appetite again which makes all of them happy, also Dr. Hadley who comes by to check on her.
Trixie happily pulls their parents out of the room.
As the "Moving Picture News" put it "The doctor restores her lungs, but takes her heart".

The movie is said to be inspired by O. Henry's short story "The Last Leaf", but if it was, only that leaf stayed and the fact that a young girl is sick, those are the only similarities. Maybe only the title was the inspiration?
The young artist in the story has pneumonia and is convinced that she'll die when the last leaf falls, but her old neighbor paints a leaf on the window to give her hope.

It's a cute film (even if we might not be used to the actors delivering their speeches to the audience a lot, especially Trixie can't seem to resist having a look).
Who wouldn't be touched by little Trixie and her idea? Well, and the happy ending of course.
Okay, the idea of letting a stranger coming in from the street injecting your child may seem a little suspicious to us, but we believe a lot of things in movies, so why not that?
Although it looks as if Trixie isn't a fan of needles ...

Tuberculosis was a very real problem at the time (it'll come up again in a post later this year). I'm sure people would have wished for such a miracle serum.
How lucky Winifred was to have her little sister, too.
I'd recommend watching the film even just for "The Solax Kid".

I have written about Alice Guy-Blaché before. She's one of the big film pioneers (female and male) and was almost forgotten, but she's worth knowing about, really.

A Good Book & a Cup of Tea - November 2026 link party

Welcome to the A Good Book & A Cup of Tea (A Monthly Bookish Link Party)!
This link up is for book and reading posts or anything related to books and reading (even movies based on books!).

Each link party will be open for a month.
My co-hosts for this event are Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs.

You can link up with any of us.

Here are my favorite posts from the October party.

I enjoyed the posts most in which Lisa, Jeanie, and Barbara shared their September reading.


These are the guidelines:
1. For bloggers, you can link unlimited posts related to books and reading. They can be older posts or newer posts. These can be posts about what you’re reading, book reviews, books you’ve added to your shelf, reading habits, what you’ve been reading, about trips to the bookstore, etc. You get the drift.
2. Link to a specific blog post (URL of a specific post, not just your website). Feel free to link up any older posts that may need some love and attention, too.
3. Please visit at least two other bloggers on this list and comment on their posts. Have fun! Interact! Get some book recommendations.
4. Readers can click the blue button below to visit blog posts.
5. If you add a link you are giving me permission to share and link back to your post(s).

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

My October books

This is an overview of the books I have finished in a month (not necessarily started in the same month) and those I have read to Gundel (marked with 😸).
I will be adding a short explanation why I chose a book or how I found it and possibly if it's a re-read candidate, but I'm usually not going to add real reviews or ratings (Gundel also refuses to give ratings). Should you want a little more information on a book you're interested in, though, just let me know.

"Village School" by Miss Read (Dora Jessie Saint), first published in 1955
(Fairacre 1) 

Miss Read tells us about the year of a school mistress in the small English village school of Fairacre in the 50s.

I saw the books mentioned on different blogs and they sounded like something I would enjoy. Of course the book is dated in some regards which I had expected, though. I will look for more books in the series.

"Four Days' Wonder" by A. A. Milne, first published in 1933 

When the 18 year old Jenny accidentally walks into her old home and finds the body of her aunt there whom she hadn't seen in years and then the current tenants come home, she has to flee and come up with an ingenious plan not to get arrested.

As accidentally as Jenny finds her dead aunt, I found this book and I'm so glad about it.
It's a mystery comedy and I loved it so much that I ordered my own copy of it when I hadn't even finished.

"The Reluctant Vampire" by Eric Morecambe, first published in 1982
(The Reluctant Vampire 1) 

The King and Queen of Gotcha are vampires and have two sons, Vernon and Valentine.
Valentine, however, finds out he's not a vampire which changes everything.

Recently, the two children's books by British comedian Eric Morecambe have been turned into a six-part TV series. I can't watch the series, so I read the first book instead.

"Undine" by Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, first published in 1811 😸

The knight Huldbrand, sent out on a mission to cross a haunted forest by the beautiful Bertalda, comes to the hut of a poor fisherman and his wife where he meets their foster-child Undine and falls in love with her.
After they have been married by a passing priest, Undine tells Huldbrand that she's a water spirit and that his love has given her a soul. The jealousy of Bertalda and the rage of Undine's uncle Kühleborn, another water spirit, however, endangers their bond.

Since school I hadn't read any German classics and decided to try and read at least one a month now.
The novella which I had never read before is based on old legends.

"Ghost Stories of an Antiquary" by M. R. James, first published in 1904 

A collection of eight Victorian ghost stories, "most of them read to patient friends, usually at the season of Christmas" (see my post about that tradition here).

M. R. James was known for his ghost stories, this is just one collection.

"Good Morning, Miss Dove" by Frances Gray Patton, first published in 1954 

Miss Dove has been the geography teacher at the Cedar Grove School for 35 years. An unexpected hospital stay makes her reminisce about her life and her pupils.

Re-read for a future blog post.

"To Sir With Love" by E. R. Braithwaite, first published in 1959 

After leaving the military at the end of the war, Ricky Braithwaite - born in British Guiana (today Guyana) - expects to easily find work as an engineer. He's shocked to find that his skin color even prevents him from getting interviews and after 18 months of unemployment someone gives him the idea to try it as a teacher in East London where teachers are needed most.

Braithwaite left teaching and became a social worker and then a diplomat after publishing this book.
I read it for a future blog post.

"Der Fuhrmann des Todes" = "Thy Soul Shall Bear Witness!" by Selma Lagerlöf, first published in 1912 

A legend goes that the last man dying in the old year has to collect the souls of the dying for one year as the driver of Death.
This time it is David Holm whose family the young slum sister (social worker for the Salvation Army) Edit (Edith in the German and English translation) has been trying to save from his drunkenness, violence, and consumption.

I read the book (included in volume 5 of Lagerlöf's collected works in this case) for a blog post.

"The Sitwells and the Arts of the 1920s and 1930s" : with essays by Sarah Bradford et al., first published in 1996 

Catalog of an exhibition held at the National Portrait Gallery, London, Oct. 14, 1994 - Jan. 22, 1995.
The Sitwell siblings Osbert, Edith, and Sacheverell were poets and novelists who were known for forming "an identifiable literary and artistic clique around themselves in London in the period roughly 1916 to 1930", admired by some and seen as overrated by others. Interesting - definitely. Complicated - oh yes.

This was a bit of a tough read. I really enjoyed the essays and also the images, but the blurbs with the images were a lot. The Sitwells knew so many people! This was one book I had to do in slow bits or the many names would have overwhelmed me completely.

"Love's Shadow" by Ada Leverson, first published in 1908
(Little Ottleys 1)

This comedy of manners takes us to the Edwardian London, we meet Edith Ottley and her husband Bruce and their friends and acquaintances.

Ada Leverson was friends with the Sitwells, that's how I found her (it seems only the third book of the trilogy got a German translation). She was also a devoted friend to Oscar Wilde who called her the wittiest woman in the world.
This was the perfect book to balance out the heaviness of the Sitwell catalog. It was light and fluffy, but from our modern view also quite sad in regard to women's situations. Bruce, for example, was so annoying that I kept hoping I would be told eventually just one reason why Edith ever thought he was the right man to marry. That didn't happen, so I could only imagine she didn't have much choice and that made me sad for her.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book because of the very amusing dialog and I plan to read the other two books as well (once I have overcome my urge to slap Bruce).

"Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten" = "The Witch Family" by Eleanor Estes, first published in 1960
(Amy and Clarissa 1)

Amy and Clarissa, almost seven years of age, are best friends - and they know witches!

This was a re-re-re-re-re-re-...-read for a blog post.

"The Last Leaf" by O. Henry, first published in 1905

Pneumonia has hit the Greenwich Village artist colony, among them the young Johnsy. Her friend Sue is very worried because she has lost the will to live and thinks she's going to die when the last ivy leaf in front of the window falls off, but it keeps hanging on and so does Johnsy.
Only afterwards she learns that their old neighbor who always wanted to paint a masterpiece has painted a "last" realistic looking leaf on the window. From being out there in the cold, he contracts pneumonia and dies.

This is just a short story, but I added it because I read it for a future blog post.

"As I Knew Him: My Day, Rod Serling" by Anne Serling, first published in 2013

Anne Serling writes about her father, TV writer Rod Serling who died in 1975 at the age of 50.

When I looked at reviews for Estes's book "The Witch Family", someone mentioned the "Twilight Zone" episode "It's a Good Life" (also about a kid banishing somebody, a very creepy story, no matter if you watch or read it), and I spontaneously looked for books about "Twilight Zone" (which most people probably know Serling for) and found this among them.
If Serling hadn't used so many letters written by her father or quotes from interviews, I'm not sure if I would have read it because it's more of a personal declaration of love to her father and an expression of her grief. Nothing wrong about that, and it does show how Serling was as a family man, but I think I'd also like to read a "real" biography about him eventually for the whole picture.

"The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 1" by Beth Brower, first published in 2019

After working as a companion for Cousin Matilde for three years, the young Emma M. Lion returns to Lapis Lazuli, the house in London that she inherited and that's run by her Cousin Archibald until she's of age. Things don't go as planned, though.

I saw the series mentioned everywhere, so when the first volume turned up on OverDrive, I gave it a try as well. No idea when the other volumes will be following.


DNF:

"At the Bottom of the Garden: A Dark History of Fairies, Hobgoblins, Nymphs, and Other Troublesome Things" by Diane Purkiss, first published in 2003

Fairies in history weren't as nice as they are often described today. According to Purkiss they were born from fear, of the dark, of death, birth, loss, etc.
The history as such would have been interesting, but the style just didn't work for me, so I gave up eventually.



If you write book reviews or blog posts about other book-related matters - even movies based on books - please check out "A Good Book and a Cup of Tea", a monthly bookish blog link party that I co-host with  Lisa from Boondock Ramblings and Erin from Still Life, With Cracker Crumbs. You can find out more about it here or directly click through to the current party via the image in the right hand column.

Weekend Traffic Jam - Week 180

Welcome to the Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot!
My posts for the link up will go live on Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. EDT or, if you live in the future like I do, on Fridays at 3:30 a.m. CE(S)T.

The experts just wanted to remind you that Halloween is almost here. We don't have any plans yet, but I'm pretty sure they will come up with something exquisitely cute ... scary, I mean scary! I sure hope they didn't hear my slip of the tongue, but honestly, look at them ...

***

And now my contribution to Anne's and Olivia's "Friday Book Snippets" where you share a quote - a sentence or short paragraph - from the beginning of a book you read at the moment and one from page 56 (or another).

Today, mine are from "Love's Shadow" by Ada Leverson, first published in 1908 which is the first part of the "Little Ottleys" trilogy.

Beginning: "'There's only one thing I must really implore you, Edith,' said Bruce anxiously. 'Don't make me late at the office!'
'Certainly not, Bruce,' answered Edith sedately. She was seated opposite her husband at breakfast in a very new, very small, very white flat in Knightsbridge - exactly like thousands of other new, small, white flats."

Page 56: "'Bruce, you're not going to begin to dress yet, are you? It's only just four.'
He pretended not to hear, and said peevishly - 
'I suppose they don't expect us to ask them? I daresay it's well known we can't return all the hospitality we receive.'
'I daresay it is.'
'It's awful not having a valet,' said Bruce.
'But it would be more awful if we had,' said Edith. 'Where on earth could we put him - except in the bathroom?'
'I don't think you'll look you're[sic] best tonight,' he answered rather revengefully.
'Give me a chance! Wait till I've waved my hair!'"

I don't like Bruce.

***

Back to the Weekend Traffic Jam.
As part of the reboot, we will be featuring a different blog every week.
How about stopping by and saying hello? Let them know we sent you.

This week our spotlight is on Beth Willis Miller.

Beth Willis Miller is a Christian author whose writing combines biblical study, devotional reflection and practical application to encourage readers to know Christ more deeply and apply the truths of Scripture to everyday life.

Marsha from Marsha in the Middle started blogging in 2021 as an exercise in increasing her neuroplasticity. Oh, who are we kidding? Marsha started blogging because she loves clothes, and she loves to talk or, in this case, write!

Melynda from Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household - The name says it all, we homestead in East Texas, with three generations sharing this land. I cook and bake from scratch, between gardening and running after the chickens, and knitting!

Lisa from Boondock Ramblings shares about the fiction she writes and reads, her faith, homeschooling, photography and more.

Cat from Cat's Wire has what she calls a jumping spider brain. She has many interests and will blog about whatever catches her attention - crafts, books, old movies, collectibles or random things.

Rena from Fine Whatever Blog writes about style, midlife, and the "fine whatever" moments that make life both meaningful and fun. Since 2015, she's been celebrating creativity, confidence, and finding joy in the everyday.


Here are some of my picks from last week's link up.

Penny has refreshed a neglected corner in her sunroom.

Amy is sharing autumn pictures from her garden.

Shelbee shows us her interpretation of the latest Style Imitating Art challenge.

Melynda has tried out a new recipe for Brussels sprout.

Amalia met a sneezing snail and two cuddling bunnies.


Let's link up!

Guidelines:
This link party is for blog posts only. All other links will be deleted.
Please link only blog posts you created yourself. Please link directly to the URL of your blog post and not the main address of your blog.
Please do not link to videos, sales ads, or social media links such as YouTube videos/shorts, Instagram or Facebook reels, TikTok videos, or any other social media based content.
Please do visit other blogs and give the gift of a comment. 

Notice:
By linking with Weekend Traffic Jam Reboot, you assert that the content is your own property and give us permission to share said content if your post or blog is showcased.
We welcome unlimited, family friendly content. This can include opinion pieces, recipes, travel recaps, fashion ideas, crafts, thrifting, lifestyle, book reviews or discussions, photography, art, and so much more!
Thank you for linking up with us!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Silent movies - Teddy at the Throttle

I know that this isn't a Halloween movie, but I had to make a last minute change. At least we have a villain!

You may know Gloria Swanson not so much as the silent movie star she used to be, but from the movie "Sunset Boulevard" in which she plays a former silent movie star.
Anyway, today I'll be talking about "Teddy at the Throttle" from 1917.

First the plot (with spoilers).

Gloria Dawn, her trusted four-legged friend Teddy, and her sweetheart Bobbie Knight live in the same building.
As does evil Henry Black. He's Gloria's guardian and Bobbie's estate manager (until he's married) diverting money to his own account. He wants his sister to marry Bobbie to hide that which would suit Bobbie's aunt who doesn't approve of Gloria but thinks Black's sister will help her climb the social ladder.

And Bobbie indeed falls for her immediately - he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer - despite just having given Gloria a ring.
Although Gloria reminds him of that, Bobbie can't resist "his new girl" and starts neglecting her, yes, he even tells Gloria to give the ring back when the sister demands it. 

Then Black is informed by Bobbie's lawyer that a new will has turned up saying that Bobbie only gets the money if he marries Gloria. If he doesn't, the money will go to Gloria.
Black is delighted to see Bobbie and his sister together and decides to marry Gloria himself to get to the money.

There's only one problem. Gloria doesn't want him.
At a ball, however, Bobbie leaves his love on the dance floor (after a hilarious dance) because he just can't stay away from Gloria.

Not allowing the plan to go wrong, the Blacks quickly separate the lovebirds again, but Gloria finds out about the new will and calls the lawyer for help. 
Meanwhile, despite a huge storm, Ms. Black and Bobbie elope by car, followed by Gloria who's followed by Mr. Black. As the car is stuck in the mud, Gloria manages to catch up with them and she shows Bobbie the letter. Of course, he changes his mind once again, but Gloria has enough and tells him to marry the sister.

Unfortunately, Black catches her, and to save himself from prison he chains her to the tracks to be run over by the train in which the lawyer is sitting (which they of course don't know).
Again, this is a comedy and if you want to read more about one of the most prevalent ideas about silent movies - the villain tying a damsel to railroad tracks - I have three posts for you on that trope in the sources below.
Gloria can't escape by herself and whistles for the true hero of this film - Teddy!

That must be some powerful dog whistle.

When Teddy arrives, Gloria gives him a note to take to Bobbie.
Both come to her rescue, but the chains are too strong.

Teddy leaps into the train with the note and the engineers stop the train, but not in time. Bobbie jumps out of the way, but Gloria is right under the train which snaps the chains under its wheels.

Gloria Swanson insisted on doing this dangerous stunt
of disappearing into a hole just in time herself!

Bobbie pulls Gloria out from under the train.
Black tries to escape when he sees that his plan has failed, but once again we can trust Teddy to do the right thing.

Black gets arrested and Gloria and Bobbie get their happy ending!

Ok, ok, I'll admit it. Of course, I chose this film mainly for Teddy.
That doesn't mean it's not interesting in other ways, even dark if you know the background of some scenes.
First, we have a spoof of the damsel on the tracks. Like the idea that there was nothing subtle about silent movies - keyword "overacting" - many of us probably have that trope in our heads. I really enjoyed reading the posts below telling me more about it.
Second, not unusual for early silent movies there are some rough scenes, but the ones with Swanson and Wallace Beery as Mr. Black are not all play. They were married at the time, but Beery had been abusive, so the marriage had already fallen apart. It makes watching those scenes harder knowing Swanson's fear and Beery's abuse are in fact real.

Nevertheless, this is a charming comedy and not as chaotic as the plot might suggest. My favorite bit is the over the top dance scene.
Honestly, I'm not sure if I would still want "fickle-hearted" Bobbie in the end, but he might grow up under Gloria's strong hand - she really knows what she wants and what not!

Now let's get to the really important stuff.
Teddy the Dog or Keystone Teddy (after Mack Sennett's "Keystone Film Company") was a 42” tall, 145-pound Great Dane who was in at least 60 movies, mostly shorts, from 1916 to 1924. He died in 1925 at the age of 14.
Wasn't he gorgeous?

Public domain via Wikipedia

Sources and further reading:

Article on Teddy:

Larry Harnisch: Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights: Teddy the Dog, Mack Sennett's Best Friend. On: The Daily Mirror, July 6, 2015


Articles on the "Damsel tied to the tracks trope":

1. Fritzi Kramer: Teddy at the Throttle (1917) - A Silent Film Review. On: Movies Silently, December 12, 2021
2. Fritzi Kramer: Silent Movie Myth: Tied to the Railroad Tracks. On: Movies Silently, March 12, 2013
3. Lea Stans: The “Damsel Tied To The Railroad Tracks” Trope Revisited. On: Silent-ology, September 29, 2026

From my children's book cabinet - Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten

I was a little shocked to see how long ago it was that I last reached into my children's book cabinet.
It was very last minute that I suddenly thought Halloween ... witches ... children's book ... ooooh, Eleanor Estes! ... re-read the book and threw this post together in one night (therefore the pictures in the shine of my reading lamp which might be happening more than once in the future).

My book today is "Die Kinder, die Hexen zaubern konnten", later published as "Die Hexenfamilie", the literal translation of the original title "The Witch Family" (spoilers ahead as usual).

Gundel approves of a book with witches
AND their three black cats! She gives it 
five out of five headbonks.

One day, Old Witch, the head witch of all the witches, was banished. Amy, just an ordinary real girl, not a witch, said Old Witch would have to go away. So Old Witch had to go.

Amy and her best friend Clarissa, both almost seven years of age, live on Garden Lane in Washington, D.C.
They love to hear stories of Old Witch that Amy's mother is telling them, and they love to draw. So one day in February, they draw pictures of Old Witch, and Amy decides to "banquish" her (she likes to make up words or sometimes still has a problem with more difficult ones) to the bare glass hill because she's so mean and because little bunnies are her favorite food.

Then the girls remember that Halloween would be very boring without Old Witch, so she's allowed to come down on that one day, but only if she has been good for a whole year.
Amy explains to Clarissa that it's important to put things in writing. Luckily, she likes to write letters which a red cardinal takes to their recipients.

"You must be good. You must not be bad. You must go and live on the glass hill always. But if you will be good, you can come back on Halloween night. So, please be good!"

That's really hard for Old Witch who's head witch after all and a very good one, but not by Amy's definition of good (a problem that Otfried Preußler's "The Little Witch" from 1957 is facing as well - what is good?).
Amy also has an emissary on the glass hill, Malachi (which means messenger) the magical spelling bee who plays an important role throughout. Old Witch can't see him but feel his stings, only her cat Tom knows where he's hiding.
As a reward for being good, Amy eventually allows Old Witch to say an Abracadabra which brings her Little Witch Girl Hannah with her cat Little Tommy for company.
Hannah goes to witch school and on her birthday she's having a party with her classmates ... and Amy and Clarissa!
And after giving Hannah a best friend, a mermaid with a baby sister, Amy finally also fulfills the girl's wish for a baby sister of her own, tiny kitten included.

This has always been my favorite picture in the book.

The border between the worlds begins to blur more and more.
One day, the girls draw rabbits painting eggs on their meadow and Old Witch can see that scene for real through her telescope.
Despite knowing the consequences, she swoops down on the rabbits and eats them and their eggs, at least that's what she thinks. Malachi has warned the rabbits who have been prepared for such a situation and put out toy rabbits and painted rocks which give Old Witch an upset stomach.
Amy, however, is generous because none of the real rabbits have come to harm and still allows her to come down for Halloween.

On Halloween, not only Old Witch is coming down, though. Hannah askdevoursr mermaid friend to babysit her little sister, so she can participate as well and fly to Garden Lane to see Amy and Clarissa. She meets Amy who wears a witch costume and they swap places, but Hannah uses the wrong spell for the broom which flies Amy back to the glass hill. Just in time, Hannah manages to give Amy a note with a spell for Malachi.
On the glass hill, Amy notices for the first time how cold and bare it is and that it can't be very nice for the witches having to live there.

After having to spend a whole night on the hill and a morning at the witch school, the little witches find out that she's the one who banished Old Witch. They threaten to turn her into a rabbit to give to the head witch, but Malachi saves her with his magical powers and takes her home. For Hannah, who has been waiting for her at Garden Lane, only two minutes have gone by.

The next day, Amy and Clarissa are drawing again.
Hannah gets a letter from Amy telling her to look around and she sees grass and flowers coming up everywhere, the house turns white, and there's even a lake, so the mermaids can visit them!

Even Old Witch likes how pretty everything looks now.
Clarissa is surprised about the decision, but says that Old Witch was "good ever after" now, right? Amy can't believe it.

"Wicked Old Mean Old Witch? Good ever after? Clarissa, are you a nope[sic]?? Of course, she wasn’t. She was still awful sometimes. The rest of the time she was good. Only when she was awful she was not good. Clarissa, listen to me. She IS Old Witch, isn’t she? What is the good of Old Witch if she is good all the time?"

Then she asks her mother to tell them about Old Witch again ... the story goes on.

Estes's book is from 1960 and the first German translation from 1971 which means the book was actually still quite new when I got it first from the library as a child. And then again. And again. I read it a lot and think the illustrations by Edward Ardizzone are just perfect.
I love this book so much and would still be able to show you the exact spot where it stood on the shelf, if the old library still existed, that is.

When I wrote this post, I only had the German translation and therefore looked for reviews that would help me with original names or words - there's a lot of wordplay (which is why I also ordered the original now) - and found an academic article (see below).
It describes the book as "an innovative work of metafiction, which explicitly engages with a number of philosophical and literary-critical issues central to postmodern and poststructuralist discussion".
I would lie if I claimed I understood all of it (the professor is an expert in the field) or even read all of it with full concentration, but there were some interesting points.
I couldn't help wondering what authors think about articles like this one? Was all of that "innovation" planned through or was it practice or did it just happen or maybe a bit of everything?

Of course, not everyone thinks the book is so great (as always). Some people find it repetitive or too old-fashioned, the characters flat or Malachi annoying with his spelling (which I kind of get in case of audiobooks or people reading it to children, but as a reader I always just ignore that and don't spell out in my head what he says), Amy too overpowering and Clarissa too reserved.
You know something, though? These kids are six. Some children have a lot of fantasy and others not as much. Sometimes one child is the leader and others run along. I have experienced that myself, both as follower and leader depending on the story. It doesn't mean Amy is automatically a bully and it doesn't mean that Clarissa will never have anything to say (which is hinted at in the ending, by the way, when Amy  accepts one of Clarissa's ideas).

Maybe you sometimes have to give your inner child the chance to read along with the grown up you to retain the magic? What were you like as a child?
Back then, I just went along with those two worlds opening up to each other without even wondering if all of this was just Amy's imagination and what she learned from the story. I probably wanted it to be possible (just like the talking Kasperle).
I may have mentioned before that I told myself made up stories when walking somewhere. Imagine those had come true! I'm not sure I could have handled the responsibility.

Anyhow, the book's magic still works for me today.
Do you have a favorite witch book of your own?


Source and further reading:

Dawn Heinecken: The Reality of Fiction and the Ethics of Storytelling in Eleanor Estes’s The Witch Family. In: Children’s Literature in Education 41, 2010, 3, pp. 260–272
DOI 10.1007/s10583-010-9108-x (closed access)