WHAT THE WIND BLEW IN, written and illustrated by Marilyn B Wassman, tells six different tales designed for reading out loud to engage children in the somewhat mythical and lively realms that it inhabits. The opening tale explores an impolite imp, a mushroom home, and his interactions with the surrounding wildlife. Having mistreated a butterfly, the imp encounters a dragonfly, who he fears can breathe fire. This isn’t the case, but an accident and the dragonfly’s injury cause the imp to change his attitude and become more friendly. The tales, short and poetic and seemingly aimed at kids around age three or four, contain little plot and seem to strive more for a pleasant rhythm and a flowing story.
The accompanying illustrations are beautiful but the stories, while mostly well-themed, are sometimes quite awkward to read. Accepting that poetry can be way more complex than rhyming couplets or established patterns, the wording here sometimes feels unnatural in its flow, which isn’t ideal for this kind of text. That particular problem aside, it’s hard to imagine a young child who wouldn’t enjoy these stories at bedtime and they contain a sense of wonder in their approach to nature, as readers (and listeners) visit, among others, a baby owl failing to fly, an introverted cat, a recovering butterfly, and a soft toy called Flube. Each character seems to have a naive side–an aspect to their life they are uncovering through experience or introspection–something that might echo the experiences of a young child just beginning to explore the world. We found a natural affinity in our house for Flube, who integrated himself into family life, and the star of the the six stories. All in all, WHAT THE WIND BLEW IN is not a bad option for a children’s read at bedtime, but it does falls somewhat short of the high standards of prose and vivid fantasy realms that currently occupy the heights of the genre. With that in mind, it’s perhaps its gentle moral thoughtfulness that is its main asset.
A cute and engaging book, WHAT THE WIND BLEW IN’s impact is toned down in places by its somewhat awkward prose. The text fluctuates too often between beautiful, natural rhyme and awkward extended sentences, muting the overall impact of the beautiful fantasy realm it depicts, alongside charming illustrations.
~James Hendicott for IndieReader