Book: The Widow's Broom

Overview
Chris Van Allsburg’s 1992 picture book The Widow’s Broom blends quiet New England domesticity with a sly strain of magic. The tale centers on Minna Shaw, a solitary widow whose life is altered when a witch falls from the night sky and leaves behind a broom that has lost its power to fly but not its appetite for work. What begins as a small, private marvel soon collides with the fears and superstitions of neighbors, drawing out themes of intolerance, cunning resilience, and the uses of imagination. Van Allsburg’s restrained narration and dusky, meticulously rendered illustrations frame the story as a fable about how communities respond to difference, and how a single clever woman protects a harmless wonder from a fearful crowd.

Story
On a quiet evening, a witch flying over the countryside suddenly drops into a field near Minna Shaw’s farmhouse when her broom falters. Minna, practical and kind, brings the witch inside and tends to her until she recovers. The broom, declared “worn out” by its owner, no longer flies. When the witch departs, she leaves the broom behind as a parting gift.

Soon Minna discovers that the broom is not ordinary. It rises on its own to sweep floors, chop kindling, and fetch water, taking to household chores with tireless precision. Minna, who lives alone, welcomes the unexpected help and the quiet companionship; the broom even shows a playful streak, sketching in ashes and learning new tasks as if it understands. Word spreads, and while some neighbors are curious, others are unsettled. The nearby Spivey family, known for their piety and suspicion, grows particularly uneasy.

Tension builds after a group of boys taunts the broom. Pestered and pelted with stones, it defends itself, sending the boys fleeing. The incident confirms the Spiveys’ worst fears: anything touched by witchcraft must be wicked. They rally other townspeople, and a delegation arrives at Minna’s door demanding that the broom be destroyed. Minna argues that it is useful and harmless, but superstition outweighs reason. The men seize the broom and, in a show of righteousness, dispose of it so the community can feel safe again.

That safety proves short-lived. The Spivey farm is soon plagued at night by a ghostly figure, thin, pale, and broom-shaped, gliding across fields, tapping windows, sweeping eerie circles in the dirt. The hauntings grow bolder, and the family’s terror deepens with each nocturnal visitation. Finally, the Spiveys abandon their home, convinced the witch’s curse has singled them out. Peace returns to Minna’s lane, and in time a familiar broom reappears at the widow’s house, now painted white. Minna has kept her secret: she hid the witch’s broom before the mob came, sacrificed an ordinary one to satisfy them, and later sent the real broom, disguised in whitewash, to frighten off her persecutors. With the Spiveys gone, the broom quietly resumes its chores.

Themes and Atmosphere
The tale is a compact parable about fear of the unknown and the power of wit over brute certainty. Minna’s calm decency contrasts with the Spiveys’ zeal, and the broom’s benign industry exposes how quickly usefulness is recast as menace when overlaid with superstition. Van Allsburg’s charcoal-toned artwork and measured prose create a mood of suspended wonder, magic that resides not in spectacle but in a broom that sweeps, a widow who thinks ahead, and a village that reveals its character when faced with the unusual. The ending’s wry satisfaction affirms that quiet cleverness can outlast noisy fear.