Run With the Wind - Hardcover

This tender tale from a British team speaks meaningfully to the little and big separations that children and parents encounter. Out in the field on a summer night, a foal fears the vast darkness: "I can't see you out here when you move away from me." His mother comforts him by likening her closeness to the wind's presence, which, while unseen, is felt. A bit later, he's dismayed when his mother explains that soon she will be giving people rides all day, and is disbelieving when she predicts that eventually an entire day will pass without his even thinking of her. But when she is off working, he spends the morning running and playing with the wind, forgetting his mother until she returns. Reflecting the natural course of weaning and independence, Pitcher's narrative implies, on a deeper level, an ever-present affection that can soothe and support a prolonged separation. Chapman's (Dora's Eggs) powder-soft illustrations exude a serenity?even amid thick darkness?that will settle little ones' apprehensions. Together, narrative and illustrations give a compassionate nudge to reluctant small colts and fillies. Ages 3-7.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

PreSchool-K-In this saccharine picture book, a little foal is frightened by the idea of being separated from his mother. She assures him that he'll be all right and won't even think about her when she's gone. Sure enough, in time, mom goes off to work and the foal frolics and plays all day, running with the wind. The two are happy with their evening reunion. This book may have been intended to comfort children facing such a separation, but will probably have the opposite effect. The idea that a time will come when they will neither think about nor miss parents will be unsettling to many youngsters, and the affectionate reunion and realization that the mother missed her foal won't be enough to reassure them. The flawed theme is presented in an uninspired, somewhat overwritten, anthropomorphized text. The soft, primarily pastel artwork is sweetly sentimental and lacking in spirit. This title is better left alone.
Heide Piehler, Shorewood Public Library, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.