When gypsies descend upon them, Ma and Pa Farmer, who first appeared in Ida DeLage's The Farmer and the Witch, and then reprised their role in The Old Witch Goes to the Ball, are dismayed, rushing to hide all of their livestock. Their efforts prove futile, however, when Ma's old gray goose and Pa's rooster go missing. Following the gypsies to their camp in the meadow, and being met with obviously false denials, they are in the midst of a full confrontation when the Old Witch of Hill emerges from her cave and rains down destruction upon all. Enraged at the theft of her cauldron, she shatters the Gypsy Queen's crystal ball, and sends showers of insects. Softened by the destitution of their erstwhile enemies, and (perhaps) ashamed of their similarity to the Old Witch, Ma and Pa decide that sharing is more important than "counting things," and all ends happily.

The sixth entry in DeLage's series of fourteen picture-books chronicling the misadventures of the crotchety Old Witch, and the ninth that I have read, Beware! Beware! A Witch Won't Share is an odd little book, switching rather abruptly from being a stereotypical story of thieving gypsies, to a feel-good, kumbaya-singing, let's-all-get-along tale of building bridges between communities. And all because of the Old Witch! Is the message here that having a common enemy can bring disparate people together? Or is it that sometimes, in order to find our better selves, we need a mirror held up to us? If witches won't share, and neither will Ma and Pa, are Ma and Pa just as selfish as the Old Witch - that hillside pest who gives them such trouble? Whatever the case may be, this was an interesting read. I wouldn't say I enjoyed it - the beginning had me irritated by its stereotypes, the ending by its sentimentally unrealistic happily-ever-after - but it was certainly a suitably quirky end to my reading of this quirky series, as the other four titles are not available through my library. It remains to be seen whether my completist tendencies have me trying to track down (through ILL, or through purchase) the remaining titles, the next time I turn to my witchy-witches project... ( )