When the Wind Blew

by Alison Jackson, Doris Barrette (Illustrator)

We all know the story of the old woman who lived in a shoe with her many children. But not everyone knows about the day when the wind blew very hard, and an unexpected guest arrived (cradle and all), setting off a chain of events that involves the three little kittens, Jack and Jill, Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, and many other beloved nursery characters. Can the old woman restore order to their world and still manage to get her children to bed on time? But, of course! This is a follow-up to Alison Jackson's strong-selling If the Shoe Fits, told with the same whimsy and charm. A Christy Ottaviano Book

Genres: Picture Books, Nursery Rhymes, Childrens, Poetry, Fractured Fairy Tales, Animals, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 18, 2014

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I liked the idea behind this picture book--telling a bit of the story of an old woman who lived in a shoe--the idea didn't work out as well as it might have. Instead, the woman and her children encounter various characters from nursery rhymes and try to fix things. I liked the watercolor illustrations, but I didn't like the delivery of the story itself and its message of "grasping for things that are lost" (unpaged). I didn't really see that message as I read the book.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the wind blows it disturbs all the nursery rhyme folks. Mary loses her lamb, the cradle falls from the bough, Little Bo Peep loses her sheep, etc. etc. The Old Woman from the shoe (and her kids) try to put it all to rights again. Rhyming text and fun illustrations are fun. The book itself is a little long, but totally usable and the idea is really clever.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun romp through the land of nursery rhymes! The Old Lady that Lived in a Shoe gets quite a shock as she tries to help other nursery rhyme characters regain their lost things. From the baby in the bough to the Little Boy Blue these characters of full of some mischief too.

Makes for a great read aloud.

[Donna Mork · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compilation of various nursery rhymes. The old mother in the shoe and her children try to return all the items the wind brings to them. She is happy in the end when she is home and her children are all safe.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute mash up of many fairytales where the old lady in the shoe and her children try to return things blown in their path from other fairytales. Preschool and up for length and concept.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bedtime story gently tells of a mama bear and her cub who wake to a storm-ravaged land where the trees have fallen. Like the birds who lost their nests, they set off to find a new home, too. Little Bear seeks to understand the new experiences as a toddler would. When he learns that flowers bent with the winds and did fly away, he bends to see what that was like. He imagines what it would be like to be knocked down in the wind as he dances and falls in the grasses. The float down the river, climb down cliffs to the valley unharmed by the storm. Love between mama and little bear is woven into the story on every page. A perfect way to wrap a toddler in love at the end of his or her day.

[Viviane Elbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is a mash-up of a bunch of different nursery rhymes - where the woman who lives in the shoe (along with her many children) try to help different famous characters get their lost things that are blown around in the wind.
The illustrations are fantastic.
I wasn't too sure what the theme was supposed to be in this book, but it's still a fun read, especially if kids are already somewhat familiar with different nursery rhymes and can understand the references.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an imaginative frolic we readers can have, thanks to "When the Wind Blew" by Alison Jackson.

This colorfully illustrated tale exists (for me, at least) in a world of wonder. Here we encounter all the best fairy tales, and their quirky characters.

Rhyming is excellent too.

FIVE STARS from this grateful reader.

Thank you, Alison Jackson for the concept and rhymes.
Thank you, Doris Barrette, for these enchanting, fresh pictures.

[AFP · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful combination of Mother Goose rhymes, that starts with the Old Woman in the Shoe finding the Baby from the Cradle. The rhyme scheme is cute and the illustrations are funny. The only criticism I have, which is mild, is that my 1.5 year old is quite alarmed that after page two, the "baby baby" disappears and is not seen again until near the end. We have to constantly flip back to reassure him that the baby is there, which his "baba" and is fine. :D :D :D

[Mh Weyler]

A mixed-up nursery rhyme tale that has fun illustrations. For an older child or adult, it is fun to spy the different nursery rhymes alluded to. It went past my kid's heads but, they enjoyed it nonetheless.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nursery rhyme mash-up caused by the blustery breeze. Fun read.

[Jackie Leierer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for adapting old nursery rhymes and fairytales. This was a cute way of pulling in several stories. :)

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun that they included so many different nursery rhymes characters in this book

[Trina Evans]

Impromptu storytime

[DiAnne Warfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holt-Delhi library PJ story time 02-26-2025

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Wind Blew by Alison Jackson is a wonderful narrative poem that incorporates many beloved characters from existing nursery rhymes. The poem begins with the little old lady who lived in a shoe with her children, stated in a classic nursey rhyme. Suddenly, a large gust of wind comes, sparking many events. Characters such as Little Bo Peep, Little Boy Blue, and Jack and Jill make appearances involving several wacky chains of events. This poem is engaging for students due to the rhyming, colorful illustrations, and the connection it has to their lives. The poem also respects cultures by including characters from several ethnic backgrounds: including a child from Asian descent, as well as a child from Hispanic descent. Although students have not directly experienced the fictitious events of the poem, the poem will bring them back to memories of bedtime stories, nursery rhymes, and listening to stories on their parent’s lap. This poem would be a wonderful tool to complement a reader’s workshop lesson on cause and effect, sequencing, or chain of events. First, children would take a picture walk and verbally answer questions such as, “What do you notice about the pictures?” and “What do you wonder about the pictures?” The teacher would activate prior knowledge by playing a video clip of a nursery rhyme, singing a nursery rhyme, or reading a nursery rhyme. Students would complete a flow chart on a worksheet, or organize events on a pocket chart in the order that the story occurred. Students will be able to answer the essential questions, “How does an event change the outcome of a story?” and “How does an action shift the events of a story?” Students will have an opportunity for creative writing by adding to the poem. Students will be encouraged to include additional fictitious characters in their writing.

[Amy Fournier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved how this combined a few well known nursery rhymes into one book. And who would have thought that the wind would have made all of their paths cross in such a way!! My daughter recognized all of the different stories in it and thought it was fun that they were all mentioned in one book.

The wind is mighty strong one day and starts off this book with Rock-a-bye-Baby when the cradle blows away in the wind only to land on the Old Woman's shoe. She then knows she needs to set things right, but as she tries, the wind blows each of the other nursery characters or their items her way. One by one she goes about trying to restore order until at the end of the day things are just right.

This was a cute story about helping others and remembering the things that are important. I love when books have a good lesson for children in them and this one did! It was easy to keep my daughters attention with this one too since there are so many familiar characters from some of her favorite nursery rhymes. I do think this was a little young for my daughter, but she still really enjoyed it. Especially the pictures. The artwork is really great.

*An advanced copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive any compensation.

[Melissa ♥ Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations accompany this charming tale of the woman in the shoe and what happens on a particularly gusty day. I loved how one nursery rhyme ran into the next as errant items lost in the wind are paired with their owners and the woman and her family trek from locale to locale gathering up the lost items and attempting to return them. I thought this a great (and fun) lesson about helping others and returning things that do not belong to you.

I was a little perplexed at the end where it appeared that they never actually had the chance to return anything...and all was simply set right again by the wind? I don't know...maybe I missed something...but I just felt that we didn't get that moral at the end to which we were being led.
Overall though...you and your little ones won't regret the time spent with this lovely book.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

We all know what happens to the cradle when the wind blows... unless the wind blows really hard, and the baby is blown clear over to the old woman in the shoe! Youngsters familiar with traditional nursery rhymes will delight in meeting old friends in this what-happens-next adventure. Attempting to return the baby to his treetop, she finds the tree covered in woolen mittens, which she tries to take back to the three little kittens, only to be almost nailed by Jack & Jill’s bucket. It’s fun to match the errant props with their nursery rhyme owners - a lamb for Mary, a staff for Bo Peep.

Curvy watercolor illustrations swing along with the rhyming text until the wind blows the entire gang - woman, kids, coins, sheep, bucket, baby and all - topsy-turvy and returns everyone and everything to its rightful place. Great fun for grownups and littles alike.


—Paula Willey for Booklist

[Ginamolter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a funny and enjoyable nursery rhyme “mashup”. The whimsical full color illustrations are paired perfectly with the humorous text to provide the reader, young or old, with a pleasant reading experience. The book provides the opportunity to use all five of the literacy practices. You can sing the actual nursery rhymes as you read the book. The rhyming text fosters phonological awareness. You can talk about the different characters and what is happening to them. You can play make believe as you act out each of the characters. You could have children draw or write their own story about what happened. You can do all this while reading the rich language which fosters vocabulary skills. This book is highly recommended.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the wind blows, not only does the cradle rock, but the three little kittens lose their mittens, and Mary's little lamb goes astray. Thankfully, there is a little old lady that lives in a shoe. She and her children know just what to do. As they scramble around setting everything right, more and more things are flying around. Eventually all is well in the world of nursery rhymes and the little old lady can return to her shoe, glad there is nothing left to do.
Mixed-up fairy tales and nursery rhymes are such a fun way to tell a story. This one, with its rhyming text will be an entertaining read-aloud for all ages. The colorful illustrations are whimsical and sweet.

[Abby Mendick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This storybook is a combination of almost every nursery rhyme you can think of. From the old woman in the shoe to little boy blue, their stories all become mixed together when the wind blows things from each storybook to the next.

Activity- Students will choose 2 or more of their favorite nursery rhymes or fairytales and make their stories combine somehow. This can be done through characters interacting with each other or just the settings coming together somehow.

Jackson, A., & Barrette, D. (2014). When the wind blew. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The woman and children returned to their shoe, But discovered that they'd learned a lesson or two. From kitten to king, they examined the cost, Of constantly grasping for things that are lost."

The wind blows various nursery rhyme items into the path of the old woman who lived in a shoe and her brood, who race about in an attempt to return the items to their owners and then learn the above lesson.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story about the old lady in the shoe and her kids and what happens when a particularly strong wind starts blowing and they decide it's their job to make sure everything that gets blown about needs to be returned to its rightful place and owner. From broken boughs and flying babies to mittens for kittens in the tree, the important lesson is that family is the most important thing to have.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nursery characters show up on every page in this whirlwind of a tale about the Old Woman Who Lives in a Shoe and the many stories she tries to set right when a wind blows everything out of its rightful place.

Rhyming text is paired with watercolor illustrations that have a whimsical classic nursery rhyme book feel. PreK-2.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

The little old woman who lived in a shoe experienced a windy day which sets off a chain of events that are funny and whimsical. Jack and Jill, Little Boy Blue, Mary had a little lamb and other favorite nursery rhymes intertwine for a story that circles around to the old woman who lives in a shoe. Reviewer 25

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids because it incorporates singing with many well-known children's stories told in a new way. It can improve narrative skills and phonological awareness. The pictures are lovely and diverse in the characters represented. The only criticism that I have is that the text doesn't always match with the tune of Hush-a-bye Baby, which took me a little out of the story.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids who are familiar with nursery rhymes will get a kick out of this one. The wind kicks up and the woman who lived in a shoe flies off on an adventure. A mash-up of characters and stories abound as the wind blows everything in this fairy tale village around. In the end, she realizes that chasing around things that were lost was time wasted. She'd rather stay home to enjoy her family.

[Cemeread]

Children will need to already be familiar with the nursery rhymes before reading this book, but for those who are familiar is should be fun trying to match up the items to characters or say the next part of the rhyme. The ending (last two pages) just did not seem to fit the story. The watercolor illustrations were lovely.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the artwork--from the windows on the boot and the font on the cover to the little details that draw the reader to the nursery rhyme being integrated into the story. This would be an interesting way to reinforce knowledge of nursery rhymes, which is knowledge that is less common in today's preschoolers.