Windy Days

Weather Days Collection

by Deborah Kerbel, Miki Sato (Illustrator)

Blustery wind, burns and shrieks
Nibbles on my nose and cheeks

For preschoolers, windy fall days mean excitement and play. Strong winds stimulate children and their surroundings, as though an invisible hand is shaking the world. Gentler breezes help plants scatter their seeds, set pinwheels in motion, and keep kite strings taut. But fiercer winds begin to sting the cheeks as they bring about a new season…

In Windy Days, author Deborah Kerbel once again captures the magic of early childhood awe and wonder with rhyming couplets as light as a breath of fresh air. Illustrator Miki Sato's unique tactile collage art pops off the page through its detailed use of hand-stitching and textural materials.

Genres: Picture Books, Nature, Storytime, Childrens, Canada

24 pages, Hardcover

Published October 5, 2021

About the author

Deborah Kerbel was born in London, England, but grew up in Toronto, Canada.
A finalist for the 2012 Governor General's Literary Award, the 2010 Canadian Library Association YA Book of the Year Award, 2019 Blue Spruce Award Honour Book, and winner of the 2020 IODE Jean Throop Book Award, Deborah is the author of ten books for young readers of all ages.
Currently, Deborah lives and writes in Thornhill, Ontario, with her husband, two book loving teens, and a schnoodle named Fred.
Visit her at www.deborahkerbel.ca

Reviews

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rhyming couplets describe the sensory experience of wind through the seasons. Kids with various skin tones examine milkweed seeds, fly kites and manage a blown-away umbrella. The heavy duty pages are not quite board book weight, but seem very sturdy. It’s nice to see STEM activities listed at the end which can reinforce the understanding of the science, including names for different kinds of clouds. It’s a perfect title for a science unit on weather.

The art is collage with paper, textiles and embroidery silk. The composition and vibrant colors lend themselves nicely to reading aloud to a class. A great addition to story time or classroom study of weather for the preschool and kindergarten set.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

My edition beautifully designed to be friendly to fans of both board books and of traditional picture-books. The illustrations subtly reveal winds through the seasons, albeit imperfectly balanced. The medium of the art is much like a collage or worked paper and therefore interestingly creative, but also just plain easy to adore. Lively, engaging, worth reading... with back matter that suggests easy science experiments as a great bonus!

(I have no idea why I'm not giving it four stars. Sorry.)

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Gentle wind, rising breeze/Scatters fluffy milkweed seeds/Gusting wind: whoosh and whirl/Flags a-flutter, pinwheels twirl”. The Canadian duo of author Deborah Kerbel and artist Miki Sato bring readers more fantastic seasonal adventures with Windy Days. I have had the pleasure of talking about the collaborators’ previous beautiful books Sunny Days and Snow Days; this new entry brings readers more weather experiences and seasonal excitement all to do with the wind. From softer of winds that lift dandelion seeds, to ”whistling wind [and] stormy song”, all the way to ”roaring wind, howling sky/restless storm clouds rolling by”, Windy Days take readers along through the seasons of the year and all of the amazing and amazingly different kinds of windy weather we can experience. Readers see the scenes change from spread to spread, noticing how types of winds (and clouds!) accompany various points of the seasons: from blowing pinwheels at a summer fair; apple picking at a farm as turbine towers work in the distance; to children and a puppy playing in a pile of leaves as winds swirl brilliant autumn colours all around them. As ever, Deborah Kerbel’s storytelling by way of sweet rhyming couplets and Miki Sato’s textured collage artwork make for a lively, tactile reading experience. Not only a lovely, gentle way to introduce concepts of weather to a young audience/young readers, but also, quite simply, a genuinely beautiful and clear rhyming story that gorgeously captures the childhood wonder in experiencing the natural world. Readers who have already read and enjoyed Snow Days and Sunny Days, other similarly short rhyming stories, or picture books about the seasons, might especially adore this. Back matter includes ideas for child-friendly wind-related science experiments, as well as a concise rundown of types of clouds. Note: Windy Days is published in “Toddler Tough” format: a more compact picture book size and form, with a padded cover and sturdy, slightly thicker glossy pages. Great for exploring little hands!

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Pajama Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children play in the wind on a blustery day, from the gentle winds of spring to the freezing blast of winter. The wind makes the pinwheels twirl, helps the children to fly kites, and spins the power turbines. The wind steals a little girl's witch hat at Halloween. The wind swirls the falling leaves while children jump in a pile of leaves. The wind makes a branch tap on the window during a storm.

The collage art style is absolutely phenomenal. The artist, Miki Sato, is quickly becoming one of my favorite artists! Every page is so beautiful! I love that you can see the different layers in the artwork. You can almost feel the texture of the tissue paper, cardboard, and fabric on the page. There are so many tiny details in each scene that I could spend several minutes looking at each page. I am literally in awe of this gorgeous art!

The text is simple, but enchanting. The story is told in rhyming couplets for each page, and it brings me back to a simpler time in childhood. I was so delighted with the polished style of this story. The text flows along naturally, and is a delight to read out loud!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sturdy board book for young readers textured illustrations consisting of fabric, paper, even cotton balls and cutouts complement rhyming couplets describing the sometimes surprising delights of the wind as it heralds the arrival of fall. Each double-page spread features a youngster experiencing the wind in various fashions, including a blowing pinwheel and high-flying kites, but most of all, multicolored mounds of leaves that welcome yet another leaf to the pile. There are also scenes showing youngsters trying to keep their footing, hold onto their clothing, and protect their faces from the wind's assault. As the book closes, readers realize that the change in temperature and in the wind's ferocity all point to the arrival of winter. Part of the Weather Days collection of board books, this one encourages curious youngsters to spend time exploring the power of the wind as well as spending some time outdoors while also fostering language development and an appreciation for the wonders of nature and the seasonal changes. Reading the book made me decide to put down my books, walk away from the computer, and breathe in the crisp fall air while watching the wind play catch with the crimson leaves of my maple trees. Add this one to a collection dedicated to the seasons.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The beauty of this book begins with its dedication: “ For my Mum, who held on tight and made sure I never blew away.”—D. K.

Beautifully detailed felt collages and zephyr-like rhymes describe kids experiencing many types of wind and engage readers of all ages to connect with this fundamental element of everyday life. The padded cover and sturdy pages make the book durable for young readers to love through many seasons. Endnotes include fun meteorological experiments, a glossary of three types of clouds depicted in the story, and a seek-and-find activity of cloud types.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good text told in rhyming couplets that describes various types of winds in layman’s terms. The illustrations are done in paper collage with textiles and these particular collages add depth to their appeal.
This title from a Canadian publisher has a name for the physical format of this title, “toddler tough”. I am certain this toughness will survive the hands of many toddlers and other preschoolers as the pages are difficult to turn making the double page spreads not open far enough to view. Format in my opinion will not be conducive for story times.

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful vocabulary and well-written rhymes! Everyday diversity

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great choice for fall storytimes with lots of sensory elements and dialogic opportunities. The big pictures make up for the small size of the book.

[Viviana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.9 stars

[Syntha Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent for toddlers

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A board book capturing the magic of the autumn season through the experiences of a young girl.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute poem book about summer ending and fall starting.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a pretty book. Looks like it's photographs using cut out paper and other materials. Very cool art

[Margot Hatfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

We did not particularly like this book… it was very detailed about all the different kinds of wind. Not very engaging at this stage of life.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

i LOVE this style of illustration more than I can say.
It's incredible and i use it with my own kids when we do a crafting/art night at work.
Kerbel 's Sun Dogs has my staff pick sticker on it.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birdie says "Windy Days" anytime the leaves are rustling!

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/kidsfi...

WINDY DAYS is a lovely board book poem that celebrates blustery weather. The text is brief on each page and captures the feelings of windy days, with many different scenes illustrated throughout. The end of the book includes some ideas for activities to explore wind as well as some information about clouds for further educational experience.

What I loved: This was a great poem that was perfectly paced with a couplet on each page. This rhythm is great for young ears, who will enjoy listening to it read aloud. The illustrations are really gorgeous, made out of different textures, featuring young children in different scenes, such as at a fair, on Halloween, stuck inside on a rainy day, and more. This book is perfect for fall with recognizable odes to the fall weather.

The book format is great for young readers and ideal for young toddlers and preschoolers. The pages are thicker than typical picture books as a step in between board and picture books, and the soft cover is fun to touch. Toddlers can turn the pages easily and explore this on their own, as a lead in to typical picture books. The font is easily legible, making it great for reading aloud, and the backmatter adds some educational context for at home, daycare, or preschool.

Final verdict: A lovely poem, WINDY DAYS is a fun way to begin to talk about the weather with toddlers and preschoolers. Intriguing textured illustrations and fun autumn scenes make this a great one for little ones to explore.

Please note that I received a review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in the Weather Days series from Pajama Press, this one discusses the wind and focuses on autumn.

Rhyming couplets show a diverse group of children interacting with the wind: scattering seeds, blowing a pinwheel, look out the window during a storm, flying a kite, hear wind turbines while on a farm picking apples, playing in a pile of raked leaves, being whisked away by a gust of wind while holding an umbrella, loosing a hat in the wind, bundling up to protect from the cold wind, hinting about the next season - winter.

Full color collage illustrations are attractive, lively, and full action. A page of backmatter gives suggestions of things to do to tie this into a STEM collection.

Kid-recommended for toddlers-PreK.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toddler and preschool
Rhyming