Secret Spells and Curious Charms

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

This fanciful collection of magic spells and incantations covers love``I place my shoes like a letter T,/ Hoping my true love I shall see''; luck, both good and bad``See a pin and pick it up,/ All the day you'll have good luck'' and ``Who kills a spider/ Bad luck betides her''; money``Flibberty, gibberty, flasky flum,/ Calafa, tarada, wagra wum./ Hooky, maroosky, whatever's the sum,/ Heigho! Presto! Money come!'' and more. These tidbits of traditional lore are as much fun to recite as Beisner's captivating illustrations are to behold. Circles, triangles and squares contain magically detailed portraits and scenes. The shapes are housed in vertical panels that border some of the pages, and the panels are dotted with tiny mystical masks. The full-page paintings, in brilliant color, have a surreal, dreamlike quality. (All ages)

School Library Journal

Gr 2 Up Librarians will be puzzled over the cataloging of this attractive book, for the charms and spells are beyond the ken of the picture book age and not detailed enough to classify as occult or folklore. Many of the verses, however, are variations of rhymes from Mother Goose and other sources. Acknowledgment for three of the charms is given to Iona and Peter Opie; for the spells to Idries Shah. Beisner's illustrations on creamy paper create a handsome book. Narrow frames, sometimes frames within frames, surround highly detailed designs, producing rather formal, disciplined pages. Jewel-tones predominate. Masks, amulets, talismans and symbology of all sorts are incorporated within and around the rather realistic paintings. This is similar in format to Beisner's Book of Riddles (Farrar, 1983) which has the answers at the back for the perplexed. That there is no glossary of signs and symbols will limit the book's appeal to novices of the occult. Virginia Opocensky, Lincoln City Libraries, Nebr.