About the Author Wiley Blevins has taught elementary school in both the United States and South America He has also written over 70 books for children and 15 for teachers as well as created reading programs for schools in the U S and Asia with Scholastic Macmillan McGraw-Hill Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt and other publishers Wiley currently lives and writes in New York City About the Artist Steve Cox lives in London England He first designed toys and packaging for other people’s characters But he decided to create his own characters and turned full time to illustrating When he is not drawing books he plays lead guitar in a rock band
Once in a faraway land an old castle sat hidden in the middle of a dark forest Inside lived the wickedest of wicked witches But no one had ever seen her Why
During the day she changed herself into a cat During the night she became an owl Then she stalked the forest to snatch baby animals for her supper
If any young maiden came within a hundred meters of her castle the witch would turn the girl into a bird And lock her in a cage The terrified cries of thousands of caged birds shivered through the forest each night
