IT IS THE WIND

Prose and pictures perfectly echo the sounds and sights of a summer night in the country. In the dark of the night, a young boy awakens to ask, “What is the noise I hear?” First, it’s an owl whispering “hooo” and “booo.” Then a dog howls “oooh” and “woooh,” followed by a gate creaking, a swing swaying and a calf calling. Next, a toad splashes and crashes, a cat hollers, a hare thumps and bumps, bugs crick, a sheet goes swish and “twish” and finally the wind sighs soporifically. Ordinary creatures and objects create a nocturnal orchestra. Artful use of repetition and internal rhyme produce a lyrical litany that will instruct and soothe young readers. Luminous, realistic watercolors washed in greens, blues, browns and yellows cast nighttime noisemakers in moonlight and shadow, capturing the dense texture of a summer night. A visual and onomatopoetic triumph. (Picture book. 2-6)