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I AM THE WIND

Name: I AM THE WIND
Author: Michael Karg
ISBN: 978-1-62414-922-1

by Michael Karg ; illustrated by Sophie Diao ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 17, 2020

A gorgeous, breathtaking experience.

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The wind travels the world meeting creatures in their habitats on five continents.

This powerful, omniscient force narrates its own adventures. First felt whisking up leaves and turning umbrellas inside out on an autumn day in a city, the wind quickly moves on to fly with a barred owl through “frost and fog” before continuing northward to frolic with a wolverine in high, snowy mountain peaks, then racing with wolves as they chase their prey. Across day and night, mountains and valleys, the wind sleeps with musk ox and blows beneath northern lights with reindeer. In each place wind has an effect on the wildlife it meets: “whistling” across a snow leopard’s ledge in the highlands, delighting chimps in a storm in Congo, helping migratory geese on their journey, boosting petrels as they fly above the sea, flitting high in the clouds with an olinguito, or stirring up puddles in the bayou to startle gopher frogs. Karg gives voice to the wind in lovely, poetic language and syntax, following each encounter with the bold, assertive title statement, “I AM THE WIND.” Each creature, whether familiar or obscure, and each location is seen in a double-page spread with beautiful, light-filled, mesmerizing illustrations that are at once accurate and ethereal. A map showing the locations of all the animals represented and a bit of further information about them concludes the work and brings readers back to Earth after this incredible journey.

A gorgeous, breathtaking experience. (Picture book. 4-10)

Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-62414-922-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Page Street

Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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JUST BECAUSE

by Matthew McConaughey illustrated by Renée Kurilla ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2023

Charming and thought-provoking proof that we all contain multitudes.

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Oscar winner McConaughey offers intriguing life observations.

The series of pithy, wry comments, each starting with the phrase “Just because,” makes clear that each of us is a mass of contradictions: “Just because we’re friends, / doesn’t mean you can’t burn me. / Just because I’m stubborn, / doesn’t mean that you can’t turn me.” Witty, digitally rendered vignettes portray youngsters diverse in terms of race and ability (occasionally with pets looking on) dealing with everything from friendship drama to a nerve-wracking footrace. “Just because I’m dirty, / doesn’t mean I can’t get clean” is paired with an image of a youngster taking a bath while another character (possibly an older sibling) sits nearby, smiling. “Just because you’re nice, / doesn’t mean you can’t get mean” depicts the older one berating the younger one for tracking mud into the house. The artwork effectively brings to life the succinct, rhyming text and will help readers make sense of it. Perhaps, after studying the illustrations and gaining further insight into the comments, kids will reread and reflect upon them further. The final page unites the characters from earlier pages with a reassuring message for readers: “Just because the sun has set, / doesn’t mean it will not rise. / Because every day is a gift, / each one a new surprise. BELIEVE IT.” As a follow-up, readers should be encouraged to make their own suggestions to complete the titular phrase. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Charming and thought-provoking proof that we all contain multitudes. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023

ISBN: 9780593622032

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)