The Weather Works

by Mike Wilks

A vast and sprawling factory churns out weather in all its variations.

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1988

About the author

Mike Wilks (British, b. 1947) began his artistic career at age thirteen when he won a scholarship to art school. He ran a successful graphic design business for five years before he sold it and began writing and illustrating books in 1975. He rocketed to fame following publication of The Ultimate Alphabet in 1986; the puzzle book sold 750,000 copies worldwide. After eight illustrated books, he established himself as a novelist with The Mirrorscape Trilogy, a fantasy adventure series.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and many private collections have acquired Wilks’s drawings and paintings. Wilks lives in London.

Reviews

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw this book at a boutique and couldn't stop thinking about it so I went back and bought it...and its so so so odd! I kept studying the illustrations which are somehow beautiful and ugly at the same time? (They are very 1980s...appropriate for its 1983 publication but a little out of place in 2021).

The poetry/verse/rhyme scheme was actually pretty terrible but I was really distracted by the pictures and bizarre storyline!

Also it was unsurprising (for a book published by a white man in the 1980s) but still a turn-off for me that every single one of the hundreds of illustrated people is white.

I have unanswered questions.
Spoiler alert:




What kind of creature is the pet? And why is its owner so creepy, appearing ominously on almost every page looking both intense and detached, and sometimes staring out at the reader? (Why do I think its a young Bill Gates? 😆) Is he the author?

How did the guide know what was gonna happen? For that matter why are pets allowed on the tour? 😆 And why is a weather disaster such a big deal in a factory that manufacturers ALL weather including extreme weather?

I was also intringued by the guide's rapid aging and mental health deterioration...and then his insanity LITERALLY materializing into a flying whale. (Like...what!?!)

Gotta look for answers online....

P.S. This is the longest review I've ever written and its for a picture book. 😂

[Elspeth Shell-moyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautiful and visually disturbing picture books ever.

[Sycobabel · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my all-time favorite books from my childhood. The illustrations are so complex and stunning. I highly recommend you track down a copy online for your children.