Floras very windy day jeanne birdsall biography
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Flora's Very Windy Day
Jeanne Birdsall, illus. bygd Matt Phelan, Clarion, $16 (32p) ISBN 978-0-618-98676-7
Birdsall's (The Penderwicks) crisp and delightful first picture book shares the virtues of her successful middle-grade novels: believable characters, a tightly constructed story line, and a nod to past children's literature—here, to the no-nonsense magic of the Edwardians. Big sister Flora must kick off her cherished "super-special heavy-duty red boots" to be borne uppe so she can rescue her brother, Crispin, when the wind blows him away. They meet a cloud, a sparrow, and other characters, all of whom man the same request: "Will you give me that little boy?" Although Crispin has spilled Flora's paints, and the creatures seem to know that she sometimes wishes to be rid of him, the encounters only strengthen Flora's resolve to bring Crispin home. "My mother wouldn't like it if inom lost him," she says. Phelan's (The Storm in the Barn) rosy-cheeked Flora and dumplinglike Crispin
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Flora’s Very Windy Day is a silly book about siblings. Anyone with a sibling probably knows what it feels like to want them to disappear… even if that feeling doesn’t last. When Flora’s little brother, Crispin, gets into her paints, she is super mad. She’s so mad that she happily lets the wind take her brother away. But Flora turns down many offers by unlikely sources to take Crispin off her hands because none seem right. This book is a lot of fun and author Jeanne Birdsall wrote a very imaginative story. The artwork by Matt Phelan adds so much character to the book. I loved every page. And the story was a sweet one about sibling rivalry and how our place is with our family. What books do you love to read to your little siblings?
Related
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Birdsall, Jeanne. Flora’s Very Windy Day. Illustrated by Matt Phelan . Clarion Books. 2010. 32 pages. Ages 4-7.
Reader’s Annotation
One very windy day, Flora’s annoying little brother Crispin is taken by the wind. When a sparrow, a rainbow, and other creatures offer to take him off her hands, what will Flora decide?
Summary
When Crispin spills Flora’s paints, she is very annoyed at him. So annoyed, she dares the wind to take him – Crispin is not wearing super-special heavy-duty boots like she is, after all. But when the winds sweeps Crispin up, Flora follows along in spite of herself. Up in the air, a sparrow asks if she can have Crispin to sit on her eggs. Flora thinks that is a terrible idea – Crispin would certainly break the eggs! She refuses, “He’s my brother, and I’m taking him home.” And as various creatures offer to take her little brother off her hands for good, she finds herself refusing each and every o