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I Face the Wind

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Ever lose your hat in a strong wind?
Ever feel the wind pushing you from side to side?
Know why you can feel the wind, but never see it?
You will!

Renowned science author Vicki Cobb makes scientific principles easy for even the youngest kids to understand. Follow this book with a young child who loves to play. Bring along balloons. Find a windy place. Together you'll face the wind and see that learning is a breeze.

Discover science, and the world will never look the same.

Great hands-on activities and irresistible illustrations by Julia Gorton make Science Play a perfect way to learn about science . . . just for the fun of it!

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 15, 2003

3 people are currently reading
229 people want to read

About the author

Vicki Cobb

113 books106 followers
Vicki Cobb, the “Master Chef of Hands-on Science,” a graduate of Barnard College and Columbia’s Teachers College, is a former science teacher with a M.A. in secondary school science. The publication of her classic book, Science Experiments You Can Eat, (an updated, revised edition was released in 2016 by HarperCollins) established her as an innovator in hands-on science. Take a look on her website www.vickicobb.com to get a sense of her playful and accessible approach to science in her 90+ books for grades K-8 that cover physics, chemistry and biology, biographies, geography, and the human body.

She is also pioneering a video project based on her book We Dare You! Check out the hilarious videos at www.wedareyouvideos.com

She has performed “Science Surprises,” her interactive and engrossing show for kids, in 49 of the fifty states (missing only North Dakota) as well as internationally. A veteran motivator/professional development presenter of day-long in-services/keynote speaker, Vicki uses her expertise, humor, wit and background as an educator to inspire teachers to make science teaching the highpoint of their day. Currently she is president and founder of iNK Think Tank, Inc., a nonprofit company that focuses on the contribution that nonfiction literature and its authors can make to education. She contributes to: The Nonfiction Minute, www.nonfictionminute.org/ (which has had 5+ million page views over the past five years) and has been a Contributor to the Huffington Post and has recently launched www.vickicobbsblog.com in connection with the Nonfiction Minute, where she writes commentary on education and reviews nonfiction books as inspiring reading for children hungry to learn about the real world. .

Vicki Cobb received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2012.

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5 stars
104 (32%)
4 stars
132 (40%)
3 stars
70 (21%)
2 stars
14 (4%)
1 star
2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
Profile Image for Fahim.
276 reviews116 followers
July 13, 2022
بعضی مواقع از کتابهای کودک چیزهای جالبی یاد میگیرم که تابحال نمیدونستم 😁چون تابحال از اون زاویه به قضیه نگاه نکرده بودم☺️
49 reviews
February 9, 2017
(KidLit ED204 category: Sibert award winner)
I love this book! "I Face the Wind" by Vicki Cobb and illustrated by Julia Gorton is a fun way to get thinking about science, without letting them know it's that scary thing called science. This book has colorful illustrations and even some of the text is incorporated into shapes and pictures, drawing the reader into the ideas in the book. This book asks questions about the wind - what it is, how do we know it has weight, how does it move? It answers the questions and gives the child ways to prove it to themselves. The book continually tells the child to also explore the ideas on their own. This would be an excellent book to read on a windy day and then take the class outside to "face the wind"!
2,626 reviews52 followers
February 6, 2016
terrific book about what wind is, how to 'see' it, capture it etc. v. easy experiments and clear illustrations.
3 reviews
October 31, 2023
Very excellent book. Here is a summary of what happened in the book, the girl was walking in the wind then shared what the wind could do such as fly kites. The theme of the book was about the winds creation and all it can do. The main genre of this book is educational children's nonfiction. Throughout this book I learned about the scientific aspects of air and wind. This book was a wow book for me because it could be educational while relating to children because they may wonder about wind and air.

A few of the writing craft the author included in this book were image descriptions. For example when the umbrella was turned inside out because of the wind the words create an image of the umbrella flipping. They also use descriptive writing as they describe what the girl is doing in the pictures for example, when she weighs the air on a hanger.
I would consider this book to be an example of anti bias book because it doesn't really include any kind of anti bias characteristics such as stereotypes I think it maybe because it is an educational book.
Profile Image for Joan.
2,480 reviews
May 11, 2023
I decided to honor Cobb’s passing by reading one of her titles. I’ve known of her work for years as some of the best science experiments writing around. I picked up a book that happened to be from the branch I worked at longest. I was surprised to discover a note I wrote inside stating it had won the 2004 Sibert Honor book! It was a delight! On a simple subject that little kids encounter: air. It is such a delight! I just may read it to my grandson when he is older and do these experiments with him!
Profile Image for Samantha.
60 reviews
April 30, 2010
I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobbs is an informational picture book for children age three to five. Cobbs has designed the book to cause and answer a child’s questions through activities that resemble relaxed science labs. The illustrations work to support and emphasize the situations she is describing. I Face the Wind is a Sibert Honor Book and ALA Notable Children’s Book.

While the book has a very factual tone, the author does not cite any sources for her research within the text or in the back of the book. Cobbs only acknowledgment in the book is to Dr. Myra Zarnowsky for helping make the book developmentally appropriate.

The text poses some interesting questions, but it seems to be confusing about what the actual facts are and what are just the author’s suggestions or theories. The explanation of the air scale is clear, but the questions posed around it make it seems like more of a theory than a fact. There isn’t any information presented about the actual weight of air in print or visual presentations.

The author does a great job showing respect for the younger reader. She makes the text approachable to younger readers by keeping the language appropriate. Her use of questions would draw the kids in and hopefully answer some of their own questions. The use of questions is very appropriate for younger readers who are filled with questions and curiosity. The illustrations are appropriate for younger readers and will help assist their comprehension. The organization is strength of this book. The questions built off each other. The questions that could arise from previous questions were placed in that sequential order. The use of questions helped to organize and pace the book.

The book flows well, but it did not have strong literary artistry. The writing was not poetic or rhythmic. Her repetition was useful for reminding the children about the topic she was covering. Her examples of the effects of wind were easy to relate to and clear enough to access a reader’s memories.

The illustrations compliment the story, intended age group, and content well. They are interesting, but use a consistent color palette to maintain order and connection throughout the book. The typography helps illustrate her words with overly complicated visuals. She uses the text, “An umbrella turns inside out”, to create the inside out umbrella. This helps the child understand the example through words and pictures. The creative use of typography will interest children. The images are simple and not over stimulating. This helps the reader focus on questions and answers presented.
10 reviews
Read
December 7, 2012
Explaining scientific topics to young children can be difficult. In I Face the Wind Vicki Cobb makes learning about the wind fun and exciting for kids. With simple experiments that can be done with simple items the author help children answer questions about the wind. The author engages the reader and encourages the reader to put the book down and try the experiments. This book has a question/answer format. It asks question such as “How can you weigh air?” “Why does air push you?” These questions are then followed by an experiment that helps the child answer the question by doing the experiment. The illustrations by Julia Gorton are also very helpful for younger kids who can’t yet read. They allow these younger children to follow along the experiments using the illustrations.
This is a good book for young kids who can’t yet read and for young readers. It’s a very engaging book, not only because it encourages the reader to get up and do the experiments but also in the way that the text is written. The text is used to describe the things like the dust swirling (the actual text is swirling around) and to describe the umbrella when it’s turned inside out by the wind (the text forms the shape of the umbrella).
Teachers should know about this book because it is a great book for those kids who have never done an experiment before. It is a good book for primary grades. I Face the Wind is a great book for teachers to have as a tool when kids are learning about the wind. It takes a complicated topic and really explains it in a simple and yet in a very accurate way.
10 reviews
December 9, 2012
Ever stop and think that you can feel the wind but you cant really see it? Cobb’s book is an informational science book from her series Science Play and helps young children explore the wind and start learning about experimenting. Throughout the book the pictures illustrate that even though you can really see the wind, you can still see what it does to some objects. For example, the wind blows your hat away, makes the leaves of a tree shake and so on. In her book, Cobb tries to bring across main ideas to get children thinking about the wind, like wind is air and air is made up molecules, and that air weights more than nothing.
All the main ideas that are made in the book are accompanied by small experiments that children can do. I think that’s what made this a good book. It’s very interactive and takes away the reader from simple informing but to help them prove it. The experiments are simple that don’t require complicated materials making it easy for the experiments to be done not just at school with teachers but also at home with parents. This book is better suited for children in primary grades, therefore teachers should know about this book because it is a really good introductory book for them to begin learning about the subject. Above the surface material like you feel the wind but not see it, they can get a feel for further scientific terms like experiments and molecules. I Face the Wind is a good beginning for students to become familiar with science because besides just being informational is a hands on book with its interactive experiments for kids.

Profile Image for Yvonne.
40 reviews1 follower
November 16, 2014
Have you ever wondered why we cannot see wind or how much air weighs? If you have, this is the book for you. This book teaches children all about the wind and includes some fun science experiments that requires common items found around the house. One experiment is comparing the weight of a balloon filled with air to a deflated balloon. By hanging both on a hanger that is balanced on a pencil, you see the balloon filled with air weighs a little bit more than the other balloon. Another experiment is filling an empty grocery bag with air and tying it shut. This experiment allows you to feel the air and maneuver it, not see it.

This is a wonderful book to teach children about wind. The writing combined with the illustrations really make this book very interesting and encourages the reader to follow along by doing all of the science experiments. I love the way the writing swirls around a character in the book to show how wind can make dirt swirl around in a circle. I also love when the directions are to blow up a balloon, the words are on an inflated balloon. This type of writing keeps the interest of the reader and makes a book about science much more fun to read.

A teacher could use this as an interactive book to read for a science unit on wind. The teacher could read the book until the first experiment and then have the children perform the experiment. The teacher could have the children first write about their predictions before doing the experiment and then write how it played out.
Profile Image for Agilar Janeet.
20 reviews
December 3, 2018
I face the wind / by Vicki Cobb ; illustrated by Julia Gorton. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. American Library Association Notable Books for Children, 2004, WON AWARD. The genre is Nonfiction, Science and Nature and the age group is 4-8 years old. The theme is about knowing about the wind by itself and the plot is the breakdown of the scientific principles of the wind with the main and only character who is a young girl. She is curious about wind so she starts learning about it while she plays and while doing different activities. I think the book is a perfect introduction for readers to dive into science concepts and to encourage them to start asking questions and as the book mentioned “doing things to get answers.” I like the interaction that the book triggers through the series of questions and different activities. The language is clear and easy to understand, and the illustrations are perfectly aligned with the text. The illustrations’ colors, and line curves are soft. The empty spaces direct the reader’s attention to the main objects on each page. I believe this book would be totally appealing to the readers and a great resource to start discovering science. I would first explain to them the mechanics of the book, then I would start reading the book and finally I would work with them on the activities.
Profile Image for Kathy.
50 reviews
October 9, 2013
Description: This is a story about a little girl who loves to play, especially in the wind. When its windy she brings balloons and kites outside. She demonstrates the properties of wind through her own observations.

Curriculum connection: Science. 2.6 The student will investigate and understand basic types, changes, and patterns of weather. Key concepts include
a) identification of common storms and other weather phenomena;
b) the uses and importance of measuring, recording, and interpreting weather data; and
c) the uses and importance of tracking weather data over time.

Personal reaction: I love that the book is designed so the the reader can make discoveries and learn about Science. The author uses a series of easy-to-read-and-do activities and experiments, using common household materials, that teach science through experience


Visual appeal: The collage illustrations are amiable and appealing and the question-filled text will get readers thinking, testing, and drawing scientific conclusions. The digital artwork uses bold forms and creative typography to keep the tone breezy and the mood playful.

Genre: Informational

Intended Audience: Ages 4-7

Profile Image for Karen.
29 reviews
June 19, 2010
I Face the Wind by Vicki Cobb was a very hands-on, interactive book that will encourage any child to experiment and think outside the box to learn about his world.

A young child's eye will be mesmirized by the bright colors as well as the visual recognition of the materials used for the experiments. Parents will like this book because the author starts it with a note to the parent to help the parent interact with the child as he or she reads, learns, and learns more with each of the three experiments that make the wind which is invisible more real.

Dotted lines indicated motion, the color is energetic and eye-catching. In some of the illustrations words form the action--the movement of the wind. The movement is also expressed with shading in some instances.

Even though the activities are for a young child, PK-1st grade, older elementary children would enjoy assisting the younger child in the experiments. The pictures are helpful for the non-reading child.

I give this interactive, non-fiction children's book a 4.
11 reviews
Read
November 26, 2012
Reading the title I never would have thought of this being a science book. The author did a very good job of describing the different things wind can do and how it affects our everyday life. While reading the book I noticed all the sentences weren't written in the traditional format. I actually had to flip back a page because I missed one of the sentences that was in a swirl formation. The illustrator also did a great job of finding creative ways to incorporate the words into the pictures. I thought that was a pretty clever idea. I liked the fact that this was an experimental book. As a future educator this would definitely be a book I would like to have in my classroom because it gets kids to think critically. It gives great examples and makes kids think on a different level of science. I think if we had more books like this kids wouldn't be so down about learning. I Face the Wind can get kids excited about learning and they wouldn't even know it! I think that's the best part about this book and the author/illustrators did an excellent job in conveying that message.
48 reviews
May 10, 2015
I Face the Wind
By Vicki Cobb
**Sibert Winner
Copyright- 2003

I thought that this book was rather confusing. It was not a straight picture book full of important information, rather the author broke the story up with information and then sending children off to test out the information. The story had many little projects and experiments for children to try. This would not be a book I would read aloud to a classroom, however I would have this book in my classroom library. The illustrations are beautiful and capture the readers attention because they are designed with much detail. Even though the book is broken up with questions and little projects it does provide good information about what the wind is and how students can find more out about the wind. I give this book 3 out of 5 starts only because it is a little confusing and I believe there could have been more information within the text itself and then the projects put at the end.
18 reviews
June 19, 2010
I gave this book 5 stars. Wind is such an abstract concept and this book would be ideal to use in the classroom. I know I'm going to share it with my grandsons. I liked the interactive discoveries and how the activities were to be completed as you read the book. This would provide great reinforcement of the concept. I liked the way the text was written to reflect the movement of the wind. I liked the geometic shapes. I could feel the wind in the illustrations--shopping bag flying in the air and tugging on her arm, flags waving, tree leaves shaking, and the umbrella and hair out of control. I feel the simplicity of the text is appropriate for the age level and educationally informative. I feel the book with the combination of its text, illustrations, and interaction would entertain and hold a child's interest.
Profile Image for Mary Beth.
11 reviews
June 15, 2010
I gave this book four stars. "I Face the Wind" by Vicki Cobb and illustrated by Julia Gorton provides fun ways for young readers to discover science. This easy to follow, delightfully illustrated book poses questions and suggests hands-on activities to help answer these questions. As young readers conduct experiments thay not only learn about the properties of wind but also develop critical scientific thinking skills. This book is informative, interactive, beneficial for educators and worthy of being part of a library's collection. I loved the book but as an educator I was a little concerned about how you would coordinate and perform the experiments with 25 second graders by yourself??? Challenging, yes. Rewarding, absolutely!
Profile Image for Megan.
36 reviews
December 16, 2009
Kindergarten
Cobb does a wonderful job in her explanation of wind! The illustrations included in this book show what the wind does, for example blowing an umbrella inside out or showing how one's breath can make wind. She even allows the font to create that certain wind effect. The text is large, as well as the book, to be more geared toward younger students. Cobb gives children a "face" to something they can not see. I found this book very educational and would recommend it to any teacher wanting their students to learn about science.
Science/Social Science
After reading the book I Face the Wind students could study other aspects of weather, such as rain or snow.
Profile Image for Minnie.
2 reviews
June 2, 2010
This book is an excellent source for elementary science teachers who want to introduce the scientific method or teaching properties of wind. This hands-on activity books poses several questions where the students can conduct an experiment using household items to test their hypothesis and make a conclusion based on their observations. According to author, Vicki Cobbs, in her note to the reader, "This book is designed so that your child can make discoveries. It poses a series of questions that can be answered by doing activities that temporarily take the child away from the book. The best way to use this book is to do the activities, without rushing, as they come up in your reading."
Profile Image for Haley.
75 reviews
December 2, 2019
5/5 stars
1-3rd grade
Non Fiction-informational
I really enjoyed the layout of this book. I thought that it brought much interest/entertainment while still being informational to the reader. This will allow the student who is reading it to connect with it easily as it gives many examples that you have been through in your life. I believe that this is very important as it is important to be able to connect with someone and enjoy reading it before you learn. You want to create interest and I think that this is what Cobb did.
22 reviews
February 16, 2017
The illustrations of this book were so creative the way the words twirled around in a circle like a wind tornado. The fact in this book about weather and the wind were easy to understand and it contained a lot of easy experiments that kids would love to learn about the science of wind.
Profile Image for Mary S.
107 reviews8 followers
July 16, 2017
I like the idea and the experiments, but the absence of endnotes on the science of wind left me bereft of explanations that curious children would likely demand of me. The text is effective in triggering curiosity, but seemed to leave me hanging.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
244 reviews11 followers
February 13, 2018
This book is AMAZING. Author Vicki Cobb explains wind and includes embedded activities within the book to teach the concept. My kids loved it. Yours will too. Be cooler than me though and do all the activities before you have to return it to the library. It's worth buying!
Profile Image for Olivia Allison.
30 reviews
April 25, 2018
Absolutely love this science illustrated picture book about the wind and how we feel it, but never seem to see it and what that means. Simple and easy to understand for children, a fantastic read aloud for students.
Profile Image for Kate Nichter.
71 reviews1 follower
April 2, 2019
I Face the Win uses text to explain what wind is, how the wind blows, and how to make it positive. I LOVE how Vicki Cobb yes the text to create images. Such as in the first few pages, she wraps the words around the little girl. The text says "It makes dust swirl in a circle."
40 reviews
September 12, 2019
I Face the Wind is an excellent book for younger children. It talks about the wind and what wind is made of, as well as gave examples to back up every fact along with experiments for the reader to try themselves.
10.8k reviews29 followers
May 4, 2017
This nook uses science experiment to demonstrate the properties associated with it. Nice concept but older audiences. The experiments are simple and doable.
Profile Image for Brooke Bryant .
32 reviews
March 26, 2018
I Face the Wind is a great book to teach students about wind. There are great experiments, activities, and observations any child can participate in!
100 reviews
October 8, 2019
Genre: non Fiction
Grade: Preschool- 2nd
Review: this book is a good way to teach students about wind. You can’t see wind but you can feel it. This book describes that feeling.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews

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