Nesta, the Little Witch is a children's book written by Angela McAllister and illustrated by Susie Jenkin-Pearce. It was first published in 1990.
Description[]
At The School for Spells, would-be witches must master many details-"Is it 'lice and mice,' or 'fleas and bees'?" Garbled spells yield ridiculous results; the only student with promise is little Nesta. Her cleverness earns the jealousy of her teachers, Windbag Wartnose and Morag the Hag, and they sabotage her. As the two cackle in the shadows of the witch lab, both are gobbled up by a monster (another student project gone awry).
Nesta releases the teachers to help clean up, but not without a warning--next time she might make a mistake "too big for a little witch to fix." Flamboyant watercolor illustrations feature inviting Halloween detail, right down to Morag's skeleton earrings. The story has elements reminiscent of James Stevenson's "Emma" stories (Greenwillow), with a format conducive to reading aloud.
The students' madcap mistakes and the outrageous conclusion will leave young readers giggling at this worthwhile addition to holiday collections. Those who prefer witches dripping with evil should avoid Nesta--she fails Nastiness 101.