Blow, Wind Blow! by Dom Conlon and Anastasia Izlesou (Children's, Picture book, 10/10E)

 

 June 2021, Graffeg Limited, 36 pages, Paperback, Review copy

 

Summary from Graffeg

Chase Wind through the oceans, fields and mountains as, from zephyr to gale, she carries seeds and stirs seas, enriching the world and breathing life.

Nayu's thoughts

I've read many picture books about the weather, and while not necessarily my preferred style and colours of illustration, the way the colours suitably match the tone of the story of how an insignificant wind grows mighty and explores the entire planet makes it a great read. I'm not sure if I can explain this well but the lack of definted lines for each double page illustration (by definied lines I mean if a person was drawn, frequently there would be defined lines around the head, limbs and clothes, often in a dark colour (perhaps black) or a darker shade of the object's colour. The lack of defined lines magnified the nature of wind, which is unstoppable. It's not merely a matter of wind travelling around the earth, what the wind does and what objects it affects are all examined, from small seeds, birds to waves and much more. 

 

Due to personal connections with a dear friend in Florida whose house was demolished by hurricane Michael in 2018 I did have an unexpected response to the mention of hurricanes in that sunny state that I hadn't expected. It's not a bad thing, hurricanes sadly are common in Florida each year. I feel it's good to let people know about the destructive side of wind but, as is seen in the book, mostly the wind is for good like turning windmill sails which mill crops like wheat which is needed to make flour for cakes and bread. I genuinely have not seen such an expanasive exploration of a weather element in a picture book before, and am impressed with all the ways wind is used in our world, both helping and hindering us. This is a really good read especially for those studying wind in science as it isn't dull and the pleasing lyrical nature of the sentences will make it easier to remember what the wind does. The colours seen on the cover are spread throughout the book in different shades depending on the strength and location of the wind. 

Find out more on Dom's website and Anastasia's website.

Suggested read

If you like learning about science why not try learning about water in Hey, Water by Antoinette Portis (Children's, Picture book, 10E/10E)