Trizzella The Witch of Woods Cove is another example of Ms. Harvey's non conventional, inspired, and creative approach to storytelling. The main story of the book is told in a wonderful poem that spans over 76 Full color pages to tell that story of one magical moonlit night in Woods Cove. Some people say rhyming books are easy to write, and this may be true to an extent. Everyone can find a rhyme for Sun right? -Did you just think Fun? But, every once and a while an author really comes through with a story that is told in Rhyme with no typical or forced rhymes. This is one of those books, the pace is almost hypnotic, there are no extra syllables, there is not a trace of the story being driven in a direction for the sake of keeping the rhyme alive, and their are no typical easy rhymes. This is just FUN to read, it's easy to get in the flow and to absorb all the humor, magic, and adventure while rhythmically flowing from page to page. This book is great when read out loud, and did I mention it is FUN? 
Some of the other aspects of this book worth noting are: The Hand drawn cartoon art matches the characters and story very well. The entire book is colored in blues, purples, and greens on black paper and is very soothing to look at and also creates a real feeling of night. While the main story is written in rhyme, the characters also have non rhyming dialog with each other through the use of comic book style captions... What? ... Yeah you read that right! Comic Book style dialog and thought bubbles! that tell a story all of their own. And in addition to that there are subtle words hidden in the background on some pages, that are not only fun to look for, but also convey a general message related to the story. This combination of elements works amazingly well without one ever stepping on the other. This is distinctively a Sandra Harvey creation. How Sandra keeps pulling out fresh and brilliant ideas I'll never know. I am currently trying to get her to sit down with me for a YouTube interview.
Another aspect of this story I found to be fresh is through the Characters Annie Blue, and Lily. Through these 2 characters the book briefly touches on abandonment and loss but manages to keep it light and comforting.
Trizzella has magical powers, she can talk to animals, and cast spells but to her it is just part of everyday life. Where Trizzella's real magic power is, is in her heart and her sweet gentle soul. She has a magic sewing needle that has the power to mend hearts and sew stars into blankets. Trizzella doesn't hesitate to use her magic to help out a hungry caterpillar who arrives at an apple tree before apple season, or to clear a scary fog. This story has pirates, ghosts, adventure, food, fun, and an devious little kitty cat (with an amazing hat collection) who has decided his purpose in life is to destroy any chance Trizzella has for finding love.
Like every Sandra Harvey Book I've reviewed so far, this book is intended for children, but adults will love it too.
Trizzella The Witch of Woods Cove is available here.
There is also a collection of Free Trizzella cartoons available at
This is one of my favorite Ryhmes from the books.
Underneath the bookcase lives her strangest little cat
his room is full of pirate things like skulls, and books, and maps.
his name is Edward Villain.
He eats birds, and rats, and mice.
Trizzella calls him E.Vil because he's really not that nice.
He goes on vast adventures in his vivid little dreams
to destroy Trizzella's chance for love
he plots and plans and schemes.
Sandra Harvey
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