Illustrated by Matt PhelanClarion Books, 2010
$16.00
32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: a great lavender/lilac
These are great illustrations. Outlined minimally in ink, then watercolored and pasteled, Matt Phelan puts such movement into his pictures. I love Crispin's hat, its long tassel flying out behind him. It amazes me how an artist can flick a line of black onto paper and create expression on a face, a movement of the wind...
Flora's little brother Crispin is driving her crazy. It's a windy autumn day, and their mother shoos them outside for some fresh air. Although Crispin's driving her crazy she doesn't complain , but she is glad her mother puts on his regular boots while she has her "super-special heavy-duty red boots" which will keep her safely anchored to the ground. But when a great gust of wind scoops us Crispin, Flora kicks off her boots to go after him - to save him.
This is a cute story about young siblings and the idea that no matter how crazy they might drive one another, they're still brother and sister. A I read, I thought about sharing the story with Ella who now has a baby brother. I wonder if the idea of the wind picking her up and flying her into the sky - through the clouds and all the way to the moon - might scare her just a bit. I've looked for a mention of this possibility in other reviews, and found some really interesting ones. (Boy, there are some great blogs and bloggers out there.)
Here are a few of those reviews: Kids Lit, The Washington Post, Katie's Literature Lounge (includes an activity), Brimful Curiosities (includes a spinning flyer and other books about the wind!), and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, which includes an interview with Jeanne Birdsall.
Matt Phelan's Website
Jeanne Birdsall's Website
(I copied this idea from a blog I read today. It's a good one. I'm bad.)
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