The Wompananny Witches Make One Mean Pizza

In Palmer’s quirky children’s book debut, sisters Anita and Winnifred Wompananny are purple-skinned, green-haired witches, one tall and lanky, the other short and squat. They love preparing pizza in their Brooklyn home, which resembles a giant, wonky potbelly stove, wedged between brownstones. Terrified of the neighborhood children, the witches cower when they come to their door selling cookies—and inadvertently pound their “fearful, freaked-out feelings” into the pizza dough. The result: “one mean pizza,” which promptly takes off rolling down the block, cheese puddles in its wake, before entering the park and landing atop a carousel. Palmer’s kinetic cartoons revel in the messy, cheesy chaos, which leads the sisters to realize that pizza, children, and witches are actually a pretty tasty combination. It’s a cheerfully offbeat story of common ground—and uncommonly good pizza—bringing diverse neighbors together. Ages 3–7. Agent: Jessica Sinsheimer, Sarah Jane Freymann Literary. (Aug.)