Bo and the Witch: A Branches Book (Unicorn Diaries, #10)

BO AND THE WITCH is a delightful and colorful chapter book about helping others and learning new things. Bo and the other unicorns are so excited because it is witch season, where they can look up above the clouds and see the witches learning to fly. They are hoping to spot one and watching as much as they can. A witch falls from the sky, and the unicorns are thrilled to meet her. They try to help find her broom, but it is broken, so she cannot get home. They help her to create a new one, but she does not seem to want to go back - which they learn is because she is not very good at magic or flying. Luckily, the unicorns know what she needs - practice!

What I loved: This is clever and fun story with plenty of magic, relatable characters, and an encouraging plot. The story is told in chapters that are diary entries from Bo, who records a bit of their days. Most of the pages are filled with illustrations and occasionally speech bubbles to convey the story through images. These are fantastically fun with lots of colors and all of the unicorn friends. The ultimate message about the importance of friendship, encouragement, and practice was a great one!

This is a fantastic choice for early chapter book readers, as the chapters are very short with most of the pages covered by illustrations. There are only a few sentences on most pages to read, and the words are relatively straight-forward. The book has a bit of a graphic novel feel with many illustrations also having speech bubbles and helps to keep the reader engaged and in the story. The font is clear, and also has lines as per writing paper that will help early independent readers to follow along smoothly.

Final verdict: With endearing characters, a relatable storyline, and lovely, colorful images, BO AND THE WITCH is a charming early chapter book that will work well for young independent readers.