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In this sequel to Little Witch's Big Night, our eponymous young witchy heroine is dismayed that the preparations under way for her upcoming birthday party - the hanging of cobwebs by Grouchy Witch, the baking of a big chocolate-frog cake by Mother Witch - seem to be leading in the same direction as always: to a not-so-nice celebration. Longing to have a party which other children attend, the Little Witch sets out to find the three trick-or-treaters she befriended on Halloween, only to discover that her quest for an astronaut, a pirate, and a devil takes her to all the wrong places. Without friends, will her birthday be any fun at all...?

Another engaging easy-reader devoted to the adventures of the Little Witch - oddly enough, although a sequel, this one is listed as being a Step 2 book, in Random House's Step Into Reading system, whereas the first was a Step 3 book, if I recall correctly - Happy Birthday, Little Witch features the same winsome combination of story and artwork that made the first entry in the series so much fun. Mother Witch's disgust, that her daughter is so good - so un-witchy - is quite humorous, and her declaration of love, despite this dissatisfaction, so satisfying. Marc Brown's artwork, although not exactly to my taste, is very cute (I liked the Little Witch's 'rabbit' tooth!), and will appeal to children, I think. Recommended to beginning readers who enjoyed the first Little Witch book, or who are just looking for witchy stories in general. ( )