Willa and the Wind

Willa and the Wind is an interesting and quirky tale from Janice M. Del Negro about two sisters living alone (with no visible parents) on a farm. When the North Wind comes through and steals their corn meal, the younger sister Willa decides that she is not going to put up with that and journeys to the home of the North Wind to demand compensation. She is clearly a character that knows how to handle herself, and is notable in her refusal to be scared off by the mean and nasty old North Wind. She proudly shouts her name and refuses to leave empty handed. This sets into motion a series of trips back and forth with a mystery to be solved. The greatest strength of this book is that Willa is strong and angry and brave, even though it takes her a while to catch on to the innkeepers' antics. Once she gets it, she proves herself to be highly intelligent and outsmarts the innkeeper to gets all of her magical gifts back. That the audience sees that it is the innkeeper causing the mischief with Willa's gifts makes it all the more satisfying when she finally catches him in the act. The illustrations by Heather Solomon are exceptional due to their use of multiple mediums. The beautiful watercolors show a vibrant world and simple everyday objects, like Willa's skirt have shocking patches of magenta and orange. The illustrations also incorporate collage for large surfaces, giving the mountains a rocky exterior or the fireplace the look of real bricks. The use of pencil adds subtlety and gracefulness, such as in the tendrils on the wind. Sometimes the art simply illustrates the text; other times it accentuates it. The story is told from the point of view of an emotionally detached omnipotent narrator and the illustrations all the reader to see emotions play across the characters' faces.

My five-year-old triplets and I love this book. It's lyrical, funny, thoughtful and thought-provoking, and we all thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My mother is a retired first grade teacher who bequeathed to us her personal library of children's books, accumulated during her 35+ years of teaching. It's refreshing to come across a new book like this one that's as memorable and as well-written and illustrated as any of these books from the past.

Here is the wonder-filled tale of a girl with the nerve and persistence to confront the north wind . Though the mischievous wind is honest in his dealing the innkeeper she meets is not. Willa meets the challenge with pluck and spirit. My daughters can't get enough of this new hero !

Willa is bold and clever - so she's going to ask Old Windy, the north wind, to return the cornmeal that he stole. Problem is - Old Windy also is bold and mischievous - but fair. He'll exchange something for the missing cornmeal. Soon three bold contenders vie for cornmeal in a zany tale with vivid illustrations by Heather Solomon.