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Reviewed by: Deidre Walsh - Goodall Library, Sanford, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 8, 2016

Review

A strong wind blows a toy pinwheel into a young boy's bedroom. The boy grabs it. As his older brother and dog watch in amusement, the little boy is blown out into the sky where he meets a hen, a sheep, a cow, and a pig. The animals get blown back to the farm. And the little boy gets blown back through his bedroom window. That's about it. The text is very minimal, from no words per page to 3-4, at most. There is repetition, "I see...". And the animals named in the story are ones that most young beginning readers are familiar with. The digitally created illustrations depict (but do not enhance) the story. This could easily be a wordless picture book as well. Golds and greens dominate the illustrations. The animals, people and other things in the story are outlined in assorted scratchy line colors, giving things an almost out of focus feel. I did like the way the wind was depicted throughout the book - in swirly lines of blues. I have an issue with the story. A young boy gets blown out his bedroom window. And he meets several farm animals as they are all blown around in the wind. This is an unsafe portrayal to convey to young readers. Also, the idea that a toy pinwheel has the capacity to carry a child up and away in the wind may scare some children. It would have been safer and still be fun to portray all of the action in this book as the result of the boys' imaginative and creative dreams. That being said, I think that some kids may actually like the absurdity of this story. I would pass on this one unless your library is in desperate need of beginning readers.

Overall Book Score: fair