The Weather's Bet

January 13, 2020
Cowan and Caldecott Medalist Young retell a fable about the rain, the wind, and the sun vying to persuade a young shepherdess to doff her red cap. In collages made of torn paper and photographs by Hudack, Young places the shepherdess and sheep against images of water, clouds, and pastures, and the forces are labeled with vermilion Chinese glyphs. Wind tries first: “Blowing angry gusts of air,/ Wind howled and howled/ both far and near.” The girl’s cut-paper hair tumbles in the force of the gale, but she holds onto her cap. Rain is next; as rain falls, the girl feels the raindrops, begins to dance—but keeps her cap. In a great burst of yellow heat, the sun beats down, bringing green to the Earth and causing the awaited-for response: she “laughed her cap off as she got warm.” Large spreads and economical text make this a good classroom readaloud—a parable that leads to a discussion about the advantages of warmth over force. Ages 4–8.

January 15, 2020
Three heavenly powers look down upon a shepherd girl and bet which one can knock her cap off. Young's atmospheric, textured artwork conjures the natural forces vying to mess with a mortal's cap in this loose retelling of an old Aesop's fable. Photographs, fabric, and paper (sometimes torn, sometimes cut) cohere in evocative collages that capture both the expansive powers of Wind, Rain, and Sun as well as the young girl's brown skin, cheekbones, eyelashes, and strands of ebony hair. Weather blows, mists, and shines in teeming double-page, full-bleed spreads. Occasional sharp lines and solid color (the red cap serves as a cardinal beacon) give readers sound footing to navigate the complex collages. Distinguishing landmasses, sheep, the girl, and sky from one another sometimes requires squinting, but looking at these challenging compositions feels exhilarating--like standing, happily drenched, in a swirling storm. Cowan's simple, consistent rhyme provides reassuring scaffolding that keeps readers from blowing away. Upon hearing the pleasing verse "For with the passing morning storm, / She laughed her cap off as she got warm," young people will feel warmth spread in their little souls too. Frontmatter explicates the symbols assigned to Wind, Rain, and Sun, which were created using Chinese pictograms and appear throughout. Awe-inspiring artwork as powerful as any force of nature. (Picture book. 4-10)

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February 1, 2020

K-Gr 3-Despite how much humans feel they control the world, Wind, Rain, and Sun will always be the Earth's primary powers. One day, Wind, Rain, and Sun observe a shepherd sleeping on a hill with her sheep. For fun, Wind bets the others that it can make her lose her cap. It tries blasting her with a gale so strong she has to hold on to keep from flying away, but her cap stays on. Next, Rain attempts to soak her hat off, but this is likewise unsuccessful. Finally, Sun emerges from behind the clouds to bathe the Earth in its warm glow, trying its hand at removing the cap. The heat of the sun finally wears the shepherd down, but she knows in her heart who the winner truly is. This retelling of "The Wind and the Sun" is both lyrical and profound, using select, spare language to tell the story. Rhyming phrases are pleasing to the ear, but the complexity of the story's message goes deeper than the text itself. Young's illustrations are striking, composed of paper collage and occasionally shifting orientation to add to their dynamic quality. The text is superimposed expertly upon the images, making them function as one and the same. Additionally, Chinese character representations of Wind, Rain, and Sun appear throughout the book as their powers are mentioned. VERDICT Elementary school classrooms seeking another approach to Earth Day will appreciate the mysterious beauty within the pages of this book.-Mary Lanni, formerly at Denver Public Library

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