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WHOOSH WENT THE WIND!

A boy is late to school, but he has an explanation: It was the wind! Needless to say, his teacher doesn’t believe him, but the boy elaborates nonetheless. First, the wind snatched all of his mother’s laundry, and he had to collect it. Then the wind blew dandelions into a mountain, and he had to climb it. Next, the wind opened the doors to a hat store, and the hats went everywhere. Of course, the hats had to be gathered up. Then traffic signs were flying! Stray cats and dogs were being deposited into grocery bags! Chickens and roosters were floating in air! Next, some fog blew in, and the boy got lost. When the fog cleared, the wind seized the boy and brought him down at the school. By this point, the boy’s teacher has had enough. She’ll take a look outside and find out just what’s going on. But maybe that isn’t such a good idea. . . . Lively charcoal-and-acrylic illustrations and sprightly text portray this adventurous young student on a most unusual day. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-7614-5309-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Marshall Cavendish

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2006

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THE GINGERBREAD MAN

A traditional cumulative tale, which Aylesworth (My Sister's Rusty Bike, 1996, etc.) endows with a lively pace, is illustrated in a decidedly old-fashioned style, giving the book the look and feel of a reproduction of an old edition. Working with precise pen-and-ink, McClintock portrays the cozy home of an elderly couple, dressed in Victoriana and in possession of a great wood-burning stove. Her work has never been more animated than in the scenes of the two-dimensional gingerbread man running away, exuberantly eluding everyone elsethe couple, a butcher, and a cow and pig dressed in human clothesuntil he is devoured by a fox. The portrayals of a cow and pig are more bizarre than charming, and the too-obvious wrinkles on the elderly people's faces are one example of eccentric choices on the part of the illustrator.With Richard Egielski's The Gingerbread Boy (1997) hot off the press and other fine variations of the tale still in print, it's hard to make the case for this one, other than to appreciate its antique look. (Picture book/folklore. 4-6)

Pub Date: April 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-590-97219-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1998

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SKY COLOR

Share this feel-good title with those who love art and those who can appreciate the confidence-building triumph of solving a...

Reynolds returns to a favorite topic—creative self-expression—with characteristic skill in a companion title to The Dot (2003) and Ish (2004).

Marisol is “an artist through and through. So when her teacher told her class they were going to paint a mural…, Marisol couldn’t wait to begin.” As each classmate claims a part of the picture to paint, Marisol declares she will “paint the sky.” But she soon discovers there is no blue paint and wonders what she will do without the vital color. Up to this point, the author uses color sparingly—to accent a poster or painting of Marisol’s or to highlight the paint jars on a desk. During her bus ride home, Marisol wonders what to do and stares out the window. The next spread reveals a vibrant departure from the gray tones of the previous pages. Reds, oranges, lemon yellows and golds streak across the sunset sky. Marisol notices the sky continuing to change in a rainbow of colors…except blue. After awakening from a colorful dream to a gray rainy day, Marisol smiles. With a fervent mixing of paints, she creates a beautiful swirling sky that she describes as “sky color.” Fans of Reynolds will enjoy the succinct language enhanced by illustrations in pen, ink, watercolor, gouache and tea.

Share this feel-good title with those who love art and those who can appreciate the confidence-building triumph of solving a problem on one’s own—creatively. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2012

ISBN: 978-0-7636-2345-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012

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