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SHARED By: Ms. Katherine, Librarian at York Avenue Preschool

How many blustery days do we have to endure before we can all enjoy Spring?  The answer, my friends, is blowing in the wind, and in all of the books reviewed below. I hope that they will blow you and your children away as much as they do me and mine. Happy Reading!

“Kite Day” by Will Hillenbrand
This charming book celebrates Spring, friendship and working together. The main characters are Mole and Bear, two friends that preschoolers may recall from the author’s book “Spring is Here.” As the story opens, Bear sticks his nose in the air and declares “Today is Kite Day.” He and Mole then set out to build and fly their very own kite. Once they get it in the air however, a great gust of wind dramatically snaps the kite string and sends the kite into a tree. It appears that Mole and Bear’s special day will have a sad, disappointing ending. Then the potential disaster is turned into good and we see that the kite is providing shelter from the rain to a happy Mama bird and her babies. “Kite Day” is full of fun and energy and is sure to entertain any young kite flyer. It is a great book for shared reading. The text is short and simple, while the characters are large, colorful and expressive.  There are plenty of opportunities for the story reader to have some fun too, with words like “zoom, zoom, zoom” and “splat. splat. splat.” For extra fun, consider making a newspaper or brown bag kite together when you are done reading.

“Stuck” by Oliver Jeffers
I have reviewed books by Oliver Jeffers in this blog before. Somehow, I can always count on his books to contain incredibly inventive stories and naturally lovable characters. His books usually are also visually stunning and although I suspect every child will love any new Jeffers’ book that I read to them in library story time, I am still often surprised by how enthusiastically these books are received and just how great they are. “Stuck” is no exception. In it, a boy named Floyd is flying his kite. When Floyd’s kite gets stuck in a tree he knows the only way to get it down is to knock it out. So he takes off his shoe and throws it into the tree hoping to do just that. When the shoe also gets stuck, he throws his other one, and that gets stuck too! Not to be discouraged, Floyd continues to think that there must be something he can use to get his kite unstuck. He starts down a slippery slope that has him throwing many things at the tree, including an orangutan, a door, a boat, his mailman, and more. Without giving too much away, I will tell you that despite the seemingly repetitive nature of the book, Jeffers manages to keep his readers thoroughly engaged as we experience Floyd’s cunning imagination, several near triumphs (what if he tried using a ladder?), and one satisfyingly outrageous ending.

“Flora’s Very Windy Day” by Jeanne Birdsall
This whimsical, gorgeously illustrated story is terrific fun and very relatable. I mean, what frustrated older sibling hasn’t wished that his or her younger sibling would just disappear for a while? That’s exactly what happens when Flora and her little brother Crispin go outside one VERY windy afternoon. Flora wants to get rid of Crispin because he has been bothering her all morning. When they are sent outside together by their mother, Flora wishes Crispin would get swept away by the wind and make her life easier. But when the wind actually does scoop up Crispin and take him away, Flora has second thoughts and flies off after him. While they are up in the sky the two siblings encounter a dragonfly, a sparrow, a rainbow, an eagle and a cloud who all want to keep Crispin and put him to work. Flora won’t let anyone keep her brother because she realizes that she will miss him too much. She tells them all “He’s my brother and I’m taking him home.” They each repeat “If the wind lets you,” so she begs the wind to drop them back home. Eventually it does, leaving Flora and her brother standing together to pick up their sibling rivalry where it left off, but also leaving the siblings with a new found appreciation and love for each other.

“Gilberto and the Wind” by Marie Hall Ets
I remember this magical book from my childhood and was delighted to re-discover it when I started working in the library at York Avenue Preschool.  In it, a cherubic boy named Gilberto discovers that the wind can be an unpredictable playmate. Sometimes the wind is a trusted friend who helps Gilberto sail his toy boat or catch falling apples or spin his pinwheel. At other times, the wind is a mischievous devil that turns Gilberto’s umbrella inside out, pulls the clean wash from the clothesline and keeps him from flying his kite or raking leaves. No matter, Gilberto is always happy to share adventures with the wind and in the end, he and the wind affirm their special bond by just being still and quiet together. The illustrations in this book are not colorful, but they add richness to the poetic text that makes you pause a little on each page before turning to the next one. “Gilberto and the Wind” is a timeless classic that you will want to read again and again.

“The Wind Blew” by Pat Hutchins
This rhyming verse picture book lets the wind become a character (though never actually seen) as it snatches items from the citizens of a seaside town and playfully blows them away. Umbrellas, scarves, toys, and even a judge’s wig all become airborne and are blown en masse towards the water. The townspeople chase after their possessions as the wind continues to blow harder and harder.  Suddenly, the wind changes course, drops its collection of items and moves on to push a sailboat across the sea. This short, simple and light-hearted read is ideal for introducing young toddlers to the power of the wind.