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ZOE'S WINDY DAY by Barbara--Illus. Reid

ZOE'S WINDY DAY

By

Pub Date: Dec. 1st, 1991
Publisher: Scholastic

One of four simultaneously published wordless board books concerning an appealingly sturdy child's outings in different kinds of weather (in the others, Zoe enjoys sunny, snowy, and rainy days). As a new illustrator, Reid received the Ezra Jack Keats award for her vibrant art, fashioned in Plasticine and then photographed. The subtlety of her work here is astonishing--she deftly captures the effect of blowing leaves, clouds, and even dandelion seeds, as well as the nuances of her characters' expressions, molding and marking her material to create the textures of a knit sweater or a three-dimensional shape seen in perspective. The medium ensures crisp, clean images, easily ""read"" by the youngest; the five-inch-square size is perfect for tiny hands. By meeting the challenge of portraying the wind's effect in this uncompromising material, the windy day may be the most virtuoso performance, but young ""readers"" will enjoy all four books.