At a glance
- Our kind of strange friend
- Folklore and storybook magic
- Story connection
- Many storytelling traditions; our example comes from American literature
A closer look at the story
L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, includes Glinda the Good Witch. That is one useful example of a witch who helps a story’s heroine. The Library of Congress holds an early edition you can explore with a grown-up.
Dates to put in your notebook
- 1900The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in the United States.
What the evidence tells us
A book can show us how a writer imagined magic. It cannot tell us what real people are like. Real people may use the word “witch” for their own beliefs or identity; a fairy-tale character is not a fair way to judge them.
Your turn to investigate
If you wrote a helpful magical character, what would they do? How would their actions tell us more than their hat?
Where these notes come from
Grown-ups can view sources in the Parent Area.
- Library of Congress · The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The 1900 book, its publication details, and Glinda the Good Witch.
Notes checked September 2026.
Who tidies the woodland?
Fungi are neither plants nor animals: they belong to their own group. In soil, fungi and other organisms help break down dead plants and animals. The woodland has recyclers working beneath our feet.
Try noticing
From the path, compare a fresh fallen leaf with one that has begun to crumble. Sketch what changed. Leave fungi in place; never taste wild mushrooms.
- Natural History Museum · Fungi are neither plants nor animals
- Natural History Museum · Life in soil
From legend to storybook
My Mom’s a Witch! brings this friend into an imaginative story about celebrating what makes a family special.
Find the forthcoming story on our shelf →Something to look at closely
Look at fallen leaves and fungi in the nature note. What changes as leaves return to the soil?
Open this friend’s notebook page →