That creative little witch who first appeared in author/illustrator Linda Glovach's 1972 The Little Witch's Black Magic Cookbook, before going on to star in five subsequent volumes of seasonal craft ideas, recipes and activities, as well as in the 1976 The Little Witch Presents a Monster Joke Book, written by Charles Keller and illustrated by Glovach, returns in this eighth title, this time focused on yoga. The first part of the book includes sections introducing yoga, exploring who can do yoga, how to select a guru, what to wear and where to practice. It concludes with the Little Witch's Code, which in this case involves the responsible behavior required of young yogis. There are then sections devoted to warm-up exercises, basic yoga exercises, and "having fun with yoga." A "Guru Story" is included, as is a section of recipes for healthy treats, and instructions for throwing a "Yoga, Toga, Ghost Party" and a "Moon-Gazing Party." The book concludes with a "Yoga Star Progress Chart" and an index...

Published in 1979, The Little Witch's Book of Yoga is a fairly engaging entry in this sixteen-volume series, each of which (with the exception of the aforementioned joke book) presents activities arranged around some specific theme. Usually these include craft ideas, as well as decorating tips (especially in the holiday titles) and recipes for various treats. Here the focus is more on the physical activity of yoga, although there are some ideas for ways to use yoga in a group (parties), as well as some rudimentary exploration of the more spiritual and/or mental aspects of the practice, such as meditation and other mind exercises. As always, the text describing the activities (i.e., exercises) is accompanied by numerous illustrations that show how they are to be carried out. I am not well-versed enough in the subject to judge the authenticity of the yoga presented here—I am reading through this series because of the witchy content, as picture books and other heavily illustrated titles featuring witches are a pet project of mine—but I suspect that some of it might veer into "new age" territory. It might run afoul of some contemporary sensibilities, given this fact, but on the whole it seemed sincere in its desire to promote the good results of practicing yoga, in terms of improved physical and psychological health. I'm not sure I would strongly recommend this one to those looking for children's books about yoga, as I think there are probably better titles published more recently, but I do think fans of this winsome little witch will enjoy it. ( )