Wind Watchers
by Micha Archer; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Paulsen/Penguin    32 pp.
3/25    9780593616550    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593616567    $10.99

Three children experience the invisible power of the wind over the course of a year. The children—eyes upward, dark hair flowing against an expansive blue sky—begin with a direct question to Wind itself: “How will you blow today?” Each subsequent full-bleed, double-page spread provides an answer. In the spring, text nestles in the negative space between a tree’s pink-flowered branches as Wind provides a light “puff at the petals.” In summer, the children lounge on a dock under a willow tree, waiting for Wind to bring the relief of a breeze on a sweltering day. Later, Wind stirs up storms. “Sometimes I like to be WILD!” it says, chasing the children indoors. The lyrical, poetic language is easy to read aloud, and thoughtful positioning of text on the page creates a sense of cohesion with each image. Archer’s masterful use of acrylic ink and paper art showcases a variety of techniques, compositions, and perspectives. From the glittering depth of collaged streaming rain to the textured, sleepy haze of a darkened bedroom, each page-turn inspires the same wonder Archer depicts in the faces of her three awestruck subjects.

From the March/April 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.