It's Only the Wind

by Mindy Dwyer

Overview

It's Only the Wind is set in the foothills of the mountains. It is that time of night when young kids have a hard time transitioning to sleep and call out to mom from bed with one request after another. This story playfully hops back and forth between real and imagined, fact and fantasy, from soft, shadowy quiet to bright and colorful action. The story celebrates children's heightened imagination with imagery that takes the children from their cozy beds into the sky, away from their room as they envision the meaning of their mother's explanations. Wind words lyrically wind through the double spreads as the kids fly, sweep, sing, and sail always with their eyes closed, as mom has asked them to do so they can be ready for sleep. Sprawled among their bed sheets, the children's curiosity is finally satisfied, as you will see in the end. Wind facts included on the last page.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781513260747
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 10.50(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mindy Dwyer is a children's book author and illustrator with just over a dozen books in print and one app. She is the recipient of "Not Just For Kids Anymore Award" from the Children's Book Council, a National Parenting Publication Award, a Young Readers Choice Award, and has two books in translation. mindydwyer.com

Read an Excerpt

Mama! The wind is pounding!

She's just working hard, rolling big waves onto rocks to make sand for the beaches. Night-night, little ones.

rolling rocking; reach beach

Do you hear a whistle?

That's a Chinook wind sliding down the mountain eating up all the snow. Tomorrow will be bright and warm. Sweet dreams!

sweet eat; slide glide

Interviews

From the Author Note about wind:

WIND IS A WONDER! It has no shape, smell, or taste of its own—it is invisible! Wind can be powerful enough to knock down trees or gentle enough to sneak up and tickle the back of your neck.

WIND IS MOVING AIR. Hot air is lighter so it rises up high, and cold air is heavier so it sinks down low. When there is a difference in temperature, wind tries to keep things in balance, so it blows from high to low. The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the wind.

WIND HELPS PLANTS GROW. Many plants depend on wind to spread their seeds. It’s the most important pollinator, even more than bees.

WIND MAKES WEATHER. Wind spreads the sun’s heat around the world giving our planet a more moderate climate. Without wind, most places would be too hot or too cold to grow food. Wind also blows moisture that rises into the air above oceans onto the land to make rain, ice, or snow.

WIND CAUSES EROSION. Wind can change the landscape as it sweeps sand, dust, and dirt across the land. When wind deposits dust over a large area, it can create a rich farming soil called loess.

WIND MAKES WAVES. By blowing across the surface of the ocean, the wind makes waves. Beaches are then pounded by waves, slowly crushing rock into tiny grains of sand.

WINDS HAVE NAMES. People around the world give wind different names. The Chinook wind, or “snow eater,” blows across the Rocky Mountains, bringing warm, dry air that melts snow and raises winter temperatures dramatically.

WIND HELPS BIRDS. Birds can rest their wings and soar high in the sky by riding pockets of warm air that rise. When moving air runs into a cliff, mountain, or building, that air flows up and over the obstacle. Birds can “ride” these currents, like waves in the sky.

Editorial Reviews

This fanciful exploration of the origins of Aurora Borealis, the northern lights, is a scrumptious delight.” ―PW (Aurora)

"This bedtime confection presents several arctic animals and raises the question: 'Do they dream like you do? Imagine it's true./Let's see what dream secrets they keep.' . . . suitable for large collections where there is a high demand for sweet bedtime tales. The calm repetitiveness of the slightly silly text and the subdued illustrations would surely help young ones fall asleep." —School Library Journal (Sweet Dreams, Polar Bear)

". . . Useful for established readers to share aloud with beginners. A tame and traditional choice for bedtime. (Picture book. 4-7)" —Kirkus Reviews

"'It's Only the Wind' is an unusual bedtime story that deals with children's fears and queries about the different, haunting sounds made by the wind. Filled with swirling puffs of blue and magical sweeping, musical wind- word sounds, this children's wind story lullaby enchants and fascinates, while it follows flights of fancy inspired by the wind. The award winning author seems to combine color, artistry, poetry, and music in these pages. A mother tries to answer her two children's questions about the sounds made by the wind, gently persuading them to go to sleep. When the children cry, "Mama! The wind is pounding!" she answers, 'She's just working hard, rolling big waves onto rocks to make sand for the beaches. Night-night, little ones.' The beautiful text is decoratively woven into the swirling illustrations of the blowing wind. The mother's calm answers to her children's questions seems to both calm and feed their curiosity about the wind. For a true multi sensory treat, parents and children will love dipping into 'It's Only the Wind' for a good night story on a blustery night. It is further enhanced by a final page of fascinating facts about wind." —Children's Bookwatch

From the Publisher

"Charmingly written and beautifully illustrated . . . an engagingly fascinating story that playfully hops back and forth between real and imagined, fact and fantasy, from soft, shadowy quiet to bright and colorful action. . . Of special note are the wind facts that are included on the last page. Thoroughly entertaining from beginning to end. . . especially recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for children ages 5 to 8."

Midwest Book Review