The wind may blow

Softly brushed artwork by Hegbrook (The Song of the Dinosaurs) and die-cuts that hint at the pages to come enliven this inspirational homily by Quinton (Florabelle). While platitudinal metaphors throughout might describe any kind of adversity ("one day the sun may go, the wild wind may blow"), moment of hitting bottom ("all hopes burn to ash"), and recovery ("You will rise again brilliant and bright and beautiful"), Hegbrook creates a particular, picturesque dilemma. A light brown--skinned child with a red hoodie, a big yellow umbrella, and a loyal dog withstands a squall, lashing a raft together with a blue-and-white striped scarf before navigating a stormy voyage's challenges. A great wave breaks over the pair and casts them on a piece of the wreckage, and the child soon thinks of a way to salvage what was lost. Though color and motion animate the pages, the scenes remain intimate throughout, an effect amplified by hand-painted text and die-cuts that offer their own visual activity. Ages 3--7. (Aug.)

As potential challenges are depicted, an offstage parent offers a child loving messages of mindfulness and empowerment. Is this another sentimental book with singsong couplets published mainly for presentation at baby showers and graduation? No! Imaginatively shaped pages and clever die cuts that highlight important images (the sun; the child's constant canine companion) or words (breathe, will rise again) ensure child appeal. The rhymes please and surprise, as they occur irregularly: sometimes internally, at others, at the end of phrases. The brown-skinned child protagonist is at first swaddled in red baby blankets, then in a similarly colored hoodie--thus, gender is indeterminate, allowing for universal identification while drawing comparisons to two of children's literature's iconic characters. The palette shifts from warm and sunny to the dramatic blues and purples of a nocturnal tempest illuminated by lightning as a storm tosses and splinters the child's raft. The tense has changed from a reflective past to an imagined present or future, with calming assurances: "know that… / you are strong enough. / …you are smart enough. / … you have all you need / to make it through." As timber is transformed into a shelter for the dog and protagonist, the narrative suggests that both structure and child are "as something new." From the shimmering foil of the jacket to the contrasting endpapers, this picture book packs substance and style into its compact format. Exciting, heartwarming, and wise--this truly will resonate with a range of ages. (Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.