Windblown. Édouard Manceau. Translated by Sarah Quinn. Toronto, ON: Owlkids Books, 2013. 32 pp., hardcover, $16.95. ISBN 978-1-926973-77-7. Preschool-grade 2 / Ages 3-7. Review by Reesa Cohen. ***1/2 /4

This imaginative tale starts with a small greyish/blue scrap of circular paper, blowing in the wind. This piece is joined by other multicolored shapes that total seven. The question is asked,

Whose are they?

     The chicken claims ownership and forms the scraps into his recognizable form. This claim is denied by the fish, the bird, the snail, and the frog who, in turn, use the different pieces to form their own shapes and then repeat the familiar refrain, “I’m the one ...”

     In the end, it is the wind who silences them all and offers the shapes to the reader.

And with one last gust,
I’ll blow them over to you
They’re yours now too.
What will you do?

     This simple cumulative tale is told with sparse text and is accompanied by playful and effective collage drawings on white backgrounds. As a read-aloud, the story will appeal to the imagination of the early years set. It will be entertaining for children to see how the shapes are arranged and again rearranged so uniquely to form the variety of animals. Even more fun can be had if parents or teachers check out the back flyleaf and take advantage of a great activity. The Owlkids website offers young readers a chance to download the different pieces and create their own animal shapes.

Highly Recommended.

Reesa Cohen is a retired Instructor of Children’s Literature and Information Literacy at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, MB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

NEXT REVIEW | TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR THIS ISSUE - May 17, 2013.

AUTHORS | TITLES | MEDIA REVIEWS | PROFILES | BACK ISSUES | SEARCH | CMARCHIVE | HOME