Flora’s Very Windy Day

Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, illustrated by Matt Phelan

FlorasVeryWindyDayFlora got upset when her little brother, Crispin, knocked over her paints, again.  Their mother sent them outside to play.

Flora protested, saying that the wind was so strong it would blow her away.  Then Flora said:  “Of course, I could wear my super-special heavy-duty red boots.  They’ll keep me from being blown away.”

They bundled up, and Flora put on her special red boots. Crispin had only regular purple boots that “couldn’t do anything but keep his feet dry.”

The wind blew, but Flora laughed at it and told it that she was wearing her special red boots so it couldn’t blow her away.  The wind blew harder, but Flora laughed at it.

“However,” said Flora, “you may notice that my little brother is wearing regular old purple boots.”

So the wind blew harder still, and lifted Crispin off the ground.  Flora realized that her little brother was being blown away.  She kicked off her special red boots, and went sailing up after Crispin, and held on to his hand as they were blown away together.  They were frightened at first, but soon realized that the wind was comfortable, like “riding along on a squishy flying chair.”

Several different things approached Flora, asking her to give them Crispin:  a dragonfly, a sparrow, a rainbow, a cloud, an eagle, and the man in the moon.  Each time, Flora said no, “He’s my brother and I’m taking him home.”

Finally Flora asked the wind to let them go home.  The wind replied it would as soon as it found the right spot for Crispin, since Flora wanted to get rid of him.  Flora realized that she didn’t really want Crispin to go away, and the wind took them home.

There likely are times in the lives of most young older siblings when they wish (even briefly) that they didn’t have a younger sibling.  Underneath that momentary frustration, they really don’t wish any harm to the toddler or baby…..it’s just hard to remember when paints are knocked over, favorite stuffed animals are being chewed on, or a grown-up is busy with baby.  This is a very sweet book showing a big sister who realizes that she really does love her brother.

 

29 Comments

  1. Destiny on October 4, 2013 at 10:28 am

    I like the cover design quite a bit. I know the old adage about not judging a book by its cover, but it can be hard to resist a really attractive cover on a picture book!

    It sounds like a nice message, too. I was the youngest sibling in my family, but I still got frustrated with younger cousins sometimes.

    • bookwormbear on October 4, 2013 at 3:59 pm

      Thanks for stopping by! The cover does pull you in – the rest of the illustrations are similar and compliment the story. It is a good one to share with young siblings.

  2. Patricia Tilton on October 4, 2013 at 12:03 pm

    I love a fun fantasy. Lovely illustrations and visuals. Perfect for siblings.

    • bookwormbear on October 4, 2013 at 3:55 pm

      Thank you for stopping by. The illustrations are simple and fun, and filled with fall colors.

  3. Brittany on October 4, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Darling illustrations – this would be perfect for an autumn read!
    Stopping by via Kid Lit Blog Hop

    • bookwormbear on October 4, 2013 at 3:54 pm

      Thanks for stopping by from the Kid Lit Blog Hop. I do think I first read this story on a very windy fall day. 🙂

  4. Joanne Roberts on October 4, 2013 at 12:39 pm

    I’ve always wanted to read this one. Jeannie is very talented and I’ve already commented on my Matt Phelan obsession. Thanks for the thorough review. Now I don’t have any more excuses to procrastinate!

    • bookwormbear on October 4, 2013 at 3:53 pm

      Thank you for stopping by. I hope you get a chance to read this one – and that you enjoy it!

  5. Jarm Del Boccio on October 4, 2013 at 2:41 pm

    What a fun and fanciful book; and with a good message, too!

    • bookwormbear on October 4, 2013 at 3:52 pm

      Thanks for stopping by – it’s a sweet, fun book.

  6. Julie Grasso on October 5, 2013 at 4:20 am

    What an awesome premise. I just love it and will have to pin if for a few of my friends who are having some sibling rivalry. Thanks so much for another wonderful book recommendation on the Kid Lit Blog HOp

    • bookwormbear on October 5, 2013 at 10:20 am

      Thanks so much for stopping by again – and for the nice comments!

  7. Stacy S. Jensen on October 5, 2013 at 7:04 am

    Sounds like a great book. Matt Phelan illustrated my PPBF book too! Look forward to reading this.

    • bookwormbear on October 5, 2013 at 10:20 am

      Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoy reading the book!

  8. Kirsten Larson on October 5, 2013 at 10:05 am

    Oh, this looks precious. It’s fascinating how little ones bicker and fight with their siblings, but become very protective when someone else picks on them.

  9. bookwormbear on October 5, 2013 at 10:22 am

    Thanks for visiting! I think my older sister found me annoying sometimes, but she always stood up for me when other kids were around. 🙂

  10. Tonja Drecker on October 5, 2013 at 12:41 pm

    Sounds (and looks) like a cute book. Thanks for sharing!

    • bookwormbear on October 5, 2013 at 12:49 pm

      It is a good one. Thanks for visiting!

  11. Julie Rowan-Zoch on October 6, 2013 at 9:56 am

    I like a decent sort of straightforward boots! Sounds and looks terrific!

    • bookwormbear on October 7, 2013 at 9:07 am

      It’s good to have boots (and siblings) you can depend on. Thanks for visiting Bookworm Bear!

  12. patientdreamer on October 7, 2013 at 4:17 am

    Beautiful book and message, a keeper! Thanks for sharing.

  13. bookwormbear on October 7, 2013 at 9:08 am

    We really enjoyed this one, too. Thank you for stopping by Bookworm Bear!

  14. Renee @ Mother Daughter Book Reviews on October 8, 2013 at 6:55 pm

    Oh, I just love this!! It totally reminds me of my daughter and my son. I’m so lucky that they are (90% of the time, anyways) so kind and loving with each other. Just this morning, my son woke up and went over to his (older) sister (before me, hmpf) and gave her a good morning hug and said, “I love you.” I dread the day where they stop being so tender and loving. Thank you for sharing your wonderful book recommendation in the Kid Lit Blog Hop Patty!

    • bookwormbear on October 31, 2013 at 9:29 pm

      Thanks for stopping by from the Kid Lit Blog Hop! My children are best friends most of the time, too. But, I think that makes the 10% of not getting along a little more intense (at least it seems that way to me). How great that your son hugged his big sister and told her he loves her!

  15. Penny Parker Klostermann on October 10, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    Sounds like a very creative story addressing siblings. I’ve added it to my list 🙂

    • bookwormbear on October 31, 2013 at 9:30 pm

      Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you get a chance to read the book. 🙂

  16. Susanna Leonard Hill on October 13, 2013 at 4:41 pm

    Hi Bookworm Bear – thank you so much for joining us on Perfect Picture Books this week! This book looks delightful, and I’m sure would be greatly enjoyed by lots of kids 🙂 If you’d like to continue with us on Perfect Picture Books, I refer you to the guidelines here http://susannahill.blogspot.com/p/perfect-picture-books.html (you’ll have to scroll all the way to the bottom and it’s a long way). What sets us apart is that we always include resources to help parents, teachers, homeschoolers etc. expand on the use of the picture book in their homes and classrooms. Apologies – I would have emailed you this info instead of posting it here but I couldn’t find an contact info for you! Thanks again for joining us, and hope you’ll be back next week 🙂

  17. Heidi Yao on October 15, 2013 at 3:21 pm

    What a great book! Thanks for sharing! It would be great if you can have a Find in Library link so that the visitors would check their local library catalog directly. I used this free tool in my blog. Just insert a link: http://aboutread.com/library/?title= and copy the title to the end. It will be like this: http://aboutread.com/library/?title=Flora’s Very Windy Day. Great day!

    • bookwormbear on October 31, 2013 at 9:31 pm

      Thanks for stopping by! I haven’t heard of the Find in Library link – I’ll be sure to check that out. Thanks for the suggestion.

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply