Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Book Review: Wind Child by Shirley Rousseau Murphy; illustrated by Leo, Diane, and Lee Dillon


Wind Child
Written by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon and Lee Dillon
Ages 4 and up

"She wanted to know the winds' secrets and what they shouted when they sped across the sky. She yearned to fly as the winds flew, to feel the grasses brush her toes, to leap high above wind-tossed waters."
Resshie grows up ignorant of her true parents, but with a strange longing and affinity for wind. She supports herself by weaving cloth, and soon her cloth is the most coveted in the land for its special unearthly qualities. But Resshie, in weaving cloth for others, realizes she is lonely and wants a husband like other girls. Not liking anyone in her village, Resshie sets out to make her perfect companion, with imperfect results.

This story reads like a Greek myth and fairy tale rolled up into one. The text flows beautifully. My girls sat silent and rapt as the story unfolded. Each picture has a dreamy, windswept feel to it, and each contains the omnipresence of wind: hair blowing, dresses blowing. And the conclusion is perfect.

This book seems to be out of print, but you should be able to find it at your library. I highly encourage it, especially if you or your children like myths and fairy tales.



Book published in 1999 by HarperChildrens for Harper Collins
This copy borrowed from the library.


6 comments:

  1. The Dillon's are wonderful illustrators!!!

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  2. I love their work, too! And so prolific. They've done dozens and dozens of book covers, as well as the illustrations for many children's books. I've got more of their books set for review in the upcoming days.

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  3. This sounds really good. I think my girls would like it. I'm going to link it up on tomorrow's RAT links post. Thanks for commenting today!

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  4. I hope the girls like it, Amy. Thanks for the link up.

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  5. Signed copies are available at the author's website, www.joegrey.com/children.htm.

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  6. Thank you for passing along that information, Sylvia. I, for one, will look into it. My girls loved it so much, I'd love to have our own copy.

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