LUCIE AND THE WIND

A young naturalist deepens her appreciation for the world.

Every morning, Lucie leaves her cottage at the base of a tree to explore. Ever the collector, Lucie—a pale-skinned child with a distinct red cape—captures exciting things she finds and puts them into jars in her patchwork backpack. The more she explores, the heavier her backpack gets. One morning, the Wind—personified as a series of blue shapes taking different forms from page to page—speaks to her. Lucie invites the Wind into one of her jars, but the Wind asks her to follow instead. After a strenuous hike up a cliff, the added weight from Lucie’s backpack nearly makes her fall. The Wind carries her to safety, but Lucie’s precious backpack drops. As Lucie cries, the Wind comforts her. Lucie’s journey home takes her past daisies, bees, soil, and more. She never did capture the Wind, but “it could never fit into a jar” anyway—a valuable lesson. In this latest gem, Laforce returns to themes about nature—also explored in his book The Lost Drop, illustrated by Benjamin Flouw (2023). He’s crafted an accessible fable that feels both timeless and fresh. Duque’s vibrant full-color artwork is whimsical and inviting, including a particularly memorable slug that follows Lucie on her journey. Each illustration is a double-page spread, mirroring nature’s expansiveness; curious readers will have a ball finding the intricate details hidden throughout.

A breath of fresh air.