A boy asked the wind

Powered by legend and known by many names, the wind takes a little boy on an international odyssey. When he notices the burnished leaves sailing toward the sky and away from a tree, the boy asks the wind, "Where is your home?" And the wind takes him. First they go west to the mountains, where the wind is called Chinook; bison pound over the ground. From there, they go to the ocean, where the swirls of the wind on the water, the Papagayo, provoke a ravenous shark. As it whooshes up Table Mountain in South Africa, the wind declares, "I am the Cape Doctor!" The trees on the slope sway in response. It sails all the way to the Middle East, where there are tanks on the streets and military skirmishes in the desert, blown by Shamal. Where else to go but the dark of the night sky? By the next morning, they are back home, the wind just a teasing zephyr. Nickel and Newland pack a lot of content into a modest space. The transitions often feel jerky, but the beautiful mixed-media illustrations are a good match for the lyrical prose. The wind is indicated with flowing ink swooshes and puffs set on a buff-colored background, while scenery and characters are painted in full color below. A glossary and an explanation of the five international names for the wind add much. Lovely. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A boy asked the wind, "Where do you live?"And the wind up high in the flag shivered, the wind down low in the grass rivered over his toes to scatter the leaves. The boy called again, "Where is your home?" The wind up high in the maple hummed the leaves free and scarlet, then hammered down to blast against the boy's ear, "Come- Excerpted from A Boy Asked the Wind by Barbara Nickel All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.