When Hazel is invited to Prince Boris the Boar's Halloween Ball, the plump witch heads to Felicity's gown shop for something fabulous to wear, only to find that they have nothing in her size. This, together with the fact that her broomstick is incapable of carrying her and her cat, Humphrey, has Hazel heading to the Health Farm to lose weight. Here she endures a regimen of copious exercise and starvation, eventually fitting into a fabulous costume, at the end of the week. But has it been worth it...?

Although witchy picture-books are a pet project of mine, and I have read hundreds of them to date, I can't think of any others that are quite like Hazel's Healthy Hallowe'en. Usually, if there are challenges to be overcome, they concern either the witch's magical skills (or lack thereof), or her ability (or inability) to fit in with her witchy peers. Here however, the focus is on issues of body image and health, and Kathryn Meyrick seems to be arguing for a moderate approach. On the one hand, she shows the result of too extreme a weight loss regimen, in Hazel's gorging on treats at the Halloween Ball, a conclusion that is as amusing at is is unexpected. She doesn't seem to be arguing that anything goes however, as her closing moral message reads: "Gentle Readers: Accept yourself the way you are / And you'll be happier by far. / Remember though, whatever you do, / That exercise is good, and / Too much food is bad for you."

I appreciated this balanced approach, with its message of acceptance and moderation, and I thought the story overall was fun, with a quirky, offbeat sense of humor. The accompanying artwork, done in a cartoonish style, is likewise quirky. Recommended to picture-book readers looking either for witchy tales, or for stories addressing the right (and wrong!) way to approach healthy living. ( )