Gilberto and the Wind

by Marie Hall Ets

The wind blows all kinds of things.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Spanish Literature, School, Nature, Latinx

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Marie Hall Ets was an American writer and illustrator who is best known for children's picture books. She attended Lawrence College, and in 1918, Ets journeyed to Chicago where she became a social worker at the Chicago Commons, a settlement house on the northwest side of the city.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wind blows all around Gilberto - and whispers secrets to him that many of us have grown deaf to...too old to realize that secrets told long ago tell us who we are today. Truly beautiful.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is such a wonderful perspective on the "Wind." I would reread it in a heartbeat.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little tale about a boy and his many encounters with the wind - some are nuisances and some delightful.

Creative drawings make the wind almost characterized.

Ages: 3 - 6

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book! Gilberto plays with the wind: though it takes his balloon and won't fly his kite, which can be frustrating, it races him, carries his bubbles, blows his pinwheel,and sails his paper boat. And it scares him at times. Very true to a child's perspective.

[Sawyer Putman · Rating 4 out of 5]

So clever and fun. Loved it

[Leslie Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book!! The illustrations were subtle and I think it goes well with the overall topic of the book. Gilberto, also makes the book enjoyable. I think children would really enjoy this book. It can also help with their imagination the same way Gilberto explores his.

[Lancee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilberto And The Wind is a Timeless Classic even though it did not receive any awards from what I could find. The story is about a little Mexican boy who is fascinated with the wind. One day he decides he is going to go outside and play with it. The little boy characterizes the wind as a person who is his friend. In the book, the wind is both unkind and caring to him throughout the entire story. The storyline tells of Gilberto’s one day adventure playing with the wind and what they do on that windy day. It is definitely a recommended read.
Gilbert And The Wind noticeably has elements of a Postmodern Picture book. On the title page inside the book, Gilberto clearly states “I am Gilberto and this is the story of me and the Wind”. Gilberto also addresses the reader through telling the story in first person from his point of view. The story has a distinct difference from most of the other books I have read. The words are not super advanced and intellectual coming from a child’s point of view which makes the story realistic. When the words and advanced and coming from a child’s point of view, it can make the reader confused and curious of the narrator’s thinking. I think making things more straightforward and simple can help the reader to be able to question and critically analyze the story more efficiently. The story of Gilberto And The Wind was very complex in that it had many different components to it that were very curious and fun to me. For the reader, the story is enjoyable and fun to analyze.
The illustrations in the story are very beautiful and detailed. The detail in the story is so exquisite and it tells a lot of the story without the storyline having to be involved. From the facial expressions on Gilberto’s face, you can see his emotions and feelings towards the wind. With each activity and game he’s playing combined with his emotions and feelings seen clearly on his face, you can see exactly what he and the wind are doing, so the storyline does not need be involved. The storyline does explain things more clearly and it does add a unique character development of the wind as a person. That does change how the story comes across to the reader in a big way. I do think that the storyline also make it easier for a child to understand. I also believe that this story would make a great wordless picture book though and it would be a wonderful story with or without the storyline.
The mood of the story is what kind of intrigues me. I specifically found different moods of the story. I thought it was cheerful, calm and lighthearted despite the frustrating times that Gilberto went through. A child being frustrated over simple things shows an inside into a child’s thinking. I found that the tone of the story blended very well with the mood. They tone and mood related yet I felt the tone of the story changed with each turning page. You have to really look more deeply into each scene to notice that there was a different mood on each page. There was honesty when Gilberto was explaining why the wind was being mean and what he felt about it. There also was playful tone on each page mixed with other tones. He was clearly playing with the wind but you also saw the boy at peace and simply enjoying himself as he played with his “friend”. I could tell that the boy had a close friendship with the wind as he was asking “Oh, Wind! Where are you?”. All the elements in the story combined to create such a wonderful children’s story.

[Lu Benke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When this book was published in 1963, there weren't a lot of books being published portraying a child with brown skin. I wish I could reach out and touch Gilberto he is so real. Ets' charcoal illustrations of Gilberto are just right showing his exploring of the wind in very simple yet perfect and very real ways for a boy playing by himself outside--with a paper sailboat, a windmill, a balloon, bubbles, or a simple white kite. As a reader, I am both enjoying Gilberto's actiivities as if they were any child's activities and enjoying them because he is portrayed as Latino in a setting I imagine to be a least somewhat impoverished. I don't have words to describe how Ets did this, but I do think this is what I am looking for in a picture book that portrays children in poverty. When I look at the illustrations, I note that Gilberto has none of the advantages more commonly present for a middle class child--a parent nearby, fancy or substantial toys, or a substantial home to retreat to. Yet, he is absolutely delightful in how he makes the most of his time playing with the wind. I wish I were there playing with the wind myself and hoping I'd get to meet Gilberto.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie Hall Ets has written several lovely, understated stories about small children interacting with the natural world. In this one, young Gilberto tells about his interaction with Wind, which introduces itself by whispering "You-ou-ou," then whips his balloon out of his hands and carries it into a tree. Throughout the story, Wind expresses many moods -- playful, capricious, stormy, and finally quiescent. Gilberto lies down and goes to sleep with the wind beneath a tree.

This story captures the character of one of the natural world's most mysterious elements, describing its different forms in a way that a small child can easily grasp. The wind is faceless, and we view Gilberto mostly from the side or the back as he interacts with his invisible "friend." The illustrations, like many from the early 1960's, are rendered in three colors only, but Ets makes the most of them, creating dramatic contrasts and a mysterious mood. An excellent read.

[Erika Gilfether · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perfectly addresses the trials and tribulations of non-verbal communication. Gilberto is desperately trying to understand the winds motivations and occasionally succeeding and occasionally not. There is lots of room for questioning natural phenomena and the effects it has on the objects around it. It is set in a very rural setting and this may not feel familiar for some, however, like the other books of hers I was able to come across today Gilberto is just so quintessentially a little boy that you forgive the potentially unfamiliar setting.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for LEAP into Science lesson (2nd grade): Catch the Wind

A completely charming story of a little boy and his friendship with the wind, who is a fickle but still endearing playmate. Good imagery and use of personification to describe the many different actions of the wind. And, the illustrations are lovely.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the illustrations in this book. The pages are the color of a paper bag and the drawings are done in pencil. The only accent colors are brown and white all of which pop in contrast to the paper. I also like that the protagonist is Hispanic.

[Ellen L. Ramsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilberto loves to watch the wind as it plays with a balloon, clothes on the clothesline, an umbrella, grass in the pasture, kites on the hill, a sailboat on the pond, a pinwheel, bubbles, and leaves. And in the end a quiet wind lulls itself and Gilberto to sleep.

[Crystal Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is a good book to use when helping children understand wind. Most children may not understand it because they can not see it. This book is a cool way to introduce the concept of wind to young children.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous book. It's sparse yet educational, all about the wind as if it were Gilberto's friend. There is a stunning page with bubbles that mesmerizes me because they look so real. Each page is black-and-white, but there is a ton of life in the images. Lovely.

[Jermeria Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would use this book as a science lesson about the wind. After reading this book, students will see in what ways the wind helps us and even gets in the way.

[Noam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro perfecto para leer en el otoño.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good for teaching personification.

[Maggie Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved reading Gilberto and the Wind because it provides good incite to the readers about the ways of the wind. The images are so simple yet, so powerful. The images and text on the pages show the reader how to identify the plot and scene of the story. The illustrator did an excellent job showing grass, clothes, and a balloon blowing in the wind. With the movement within the book, it allows the reader to feel as though they are moving within the wind. This book is an amazing example of how young readers can engage with the book. when bringing the white color into the objects, it allows those objects to pop out to the reader. The pressure of the wind can show to young readers how objects move within the wind. Such as the apples falling form the apple tree. As an activity for my students, they will be making handheld windmills and when the day is windy, we will be able to see the hard work the students did to prove how wind moves things. This book will allow the students to look outside their door and realize science is happening in their everyday lives.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved how this book takes something like the wind and makes it into a friend. It helped me appreciate the wind more and think of a child imagining and playing with the wind. Starts out with "I hear the Wind whispering at the door. 'You-ou-ou,' he whispers. 'You-ou-ou-ou!' So I get my balloon, and I run out to play. At first Wind is gentle and just floats my balloon around in the air. But then, with a jerk, he grabs it away and carries it up to the top of a tree. 'Wind! Oh, Wind!' I say. 'Blow it back to me! Please!' But he won't. He just laughs and whispers, 'You-ou-ou-ou!'" Then continues through the wind blowing through laundry hanging on a line, with an umbrella, moving an open gate, running through a meadow, a kite, fruit in a tree, a toy sailboat, pinwheel.... so many simple joys. Would highly recommend reading with your kids and then taking them outside, especially on a windy, or breezy day.

[June Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite pieces of core literature when I taught first grade was 'Gilberto and the Wind' by this talented author/illustrator. My students absolutely adored little Gilberto because he was a youngster to whom they could relate, and a lot of Gilberto's adventures with the 'wind' made the students laugh.

Beautifully written and illustrated, this story is a memorable piece of multi-cultural literature.

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[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

To many toddlers (and older folks, too) the wind appears abstract and mysterious. For Gilberto, though, the wind is his friend.

Thanks to this book, young readers learn quite a lot about what the wind can--and can't--do.

For us more experienced readers, this book serves as a fun reminder about the wonders of wind.

FIVE STARS, yes.

[Red 1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I kinda likeded it but I just i kinda likeded it but i just didn't like the trees they looked green trees not supposed to be green they supposed to be brown!"-Ariel
"Giltro and the wind I did like Giltro and the wind!"-Faith

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy talks about all his adventures with his friend wind. Love the imaginary created by the words. Pictures are all white, brown and black. Preschool and up for length.

[Silvia Ribeiro Eisenmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute picture book about the wind.

[Shirleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this simple little story of a boy named Gilberto and his adventures with the wind.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So sweet!

[Megan Biter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be a good book to use as a literacy piece of a weather unit to show the different 'behaviors' of the wind and to talk about imagination and perspectives.

[Lorraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really cute with the wind personified.

[Josephine Burks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about the wind, my daughters didn’t really as they prefer really colorful books. I liked the simplicity of the pictures.