A Tangle of Brungles

Witches gather on a dark night. One of the witches announces she wants to be married. She tells the others they must create a brew and a spell that will conjure a Brungle, a being she wishes to wed. Of course, a magical brew such as this requires a great many creatures to be part of it. From owls to cobras, from vultures to goldfish, from knights to woodchucks, and more. But no creature is alone. They all come in groups, and each group has an interesting name. But when the brew is finished and the incantation spoken, no Brungle appears. The oldest of the witches realizes what is wrong. It takes the addition of a bind of eels to make the brew work its magic. Not one Brungle appears, but a tangle of Brungles.

Author Shobha Viswanath has written this story in rhyme, most of it clever, but some of it forced, which seems to have been done for the purpose of introducing several collective nouns for animals. Colorful, detailed illustrations by Culpeo S. Fox support the story, but this is not a story for faint of heart. It is too scary for most youngsters.