The Very Windy Day - Hardcover

Four people have errands along North, South, East, and West Streets. Johnny is carrying his baby sister home, wrapped in a blanket; Mrs. Green is wearing a large hat; Susan has a new kitten in a box; and Mr. Black's newspaper is around his lunch. The wind whisks each object away, to be used by each of the other people before finally returning to its original owner (e.g., the cat rides in the hat, then is wrapped in the blanket, etc.). It's sort of an amusing idea, if a little overextended by the many possible combinations. In a promising debut, Summers whirls her amusingly caricatured people along the windy streets in lively cartoon style, providing comical details like the changing expressions of the rabbits depicted on the baby's blanket. Worth a try. (Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

PreSchool-Grade 2-- The wind in Summerville creates a series of mix-ups for some residents. Emma Brown's blanket, Mrs. Green's hat, Susan White's box, and Mr. Black's newspaper are blown from their owners and make the rounds to the other people before order is restored and the wind quiets. Although confusion is the essence of the plot, questionable syntax adds unnecessary problems. Brightly colored illustrations use exaggeration to underscore the humor of such situations as using a baby blanket to wrap a lunch. The book could contribute to story times on a windy spring day but lacks the pizazz of a year-round favorite. --Kathy Piehl, Mankato State Univ . , MN
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.