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Saturday, July 16, 2016

The Storm, by Akiko Miyakoshi. Kids Can Press, 2016. $18.95 ages 4 and up

"I wonder how fast the wind
blows.
I wish I had a ship with big
propellers that would spin
stronger winds to drive the
storm away.
The ship sails into the black
clouds.
I keep watch.
I climb up to the crow's nest,
just before the ship is ... "

Here's another book about weather - and too much rain! We know that feeling, at the moment.

Anxious looks at a darkening sky, hurried preparations for a forecasted storm, and a promise likely to be broken are the premise for this journey of the imagination. A highly anticipated weekend trip to the beach seems destined for another time as the child wanting to go watches the storm bear down upon his community.

"All through dinner, the rain
beats hard against the shutters.
The wind howls and blows.
I try not to be scared."

A warm bed, a sound-muffling blanket over his head, and relaxation result in a dream of sailing in a enormous ship that has the power to allay the rain and wind. What will the morning bring?

The impact of the powerful charcoal drawings cannot be overstated. They evoke the dark danger of the approaching storm as well as the fear and hurt it causes for the young child who wants no part of it. He wants to go to the beach, as promised. The dream sequence has such force and fantastic strength
with its wild wind and threatening skies. The child has control of the ship, and the danger passes. As it lifts to the lightening skies, we know that the storm has diminished. What adventure it provides!

The only color in the book is given to the bright blue sky of morning, and prompts the welcome trip to the beach. If there's a rainy day in your future, this would be the perfect book to take off the shelf and share.
                                                                           

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