SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About/Contact
  • *Best New Books*
    • Annual Best Lists
  • Reviews
    • One Star Review
    • Nonfiction
    • Toon Reviews
  • Articles
    • Authors
    • Link Du Jour
  • Covers
    • Covering the Newbery
    • Cover Curiosity
    • Unfortunate Covers
  • News
    • Books on Film
    • Morning Notes
  • Newsletter

March 5, 2013 by Travis Jonker

Review: Windblown by Édouard Manceau

March 5, 2013 by Travis Jonker   2 comments

Windblown
By Édouard Manceau

Owlkids Books

ISBN: 9781926973777
$16.95
Grades PreK-1
In Stores April 9, 2013

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Find it at:
Schuler Books | Your Library

Simple shapes. Lots of white space. Created by a Frenchman. Sound familiar? If your first thought was Hurve Tullet’s Press Here, you’re not alone. But although Édouard Manceau’s Windblown shares some elements of Tullet’s 2011 standout, it is also quite different in some important ways. Windblown is a book that screams, “Turn me into a craft already!!!”. We should all listen. Indeed, the success of the book depends on it.

What’s the deal with the seven multi-colored shapes blowing across the page?

There’s a cast of animal characters – from chicken to fish to bird to snail to frog – who lay claim to the shapes. This cumulative story introduces the animals one by one, as the shapes assemble and reassemble to illustrate each character. It’s the wind, however, that gets the upper hand.

‘And with one last gust,
I’ll blow them over to you.’
They’re yours now too.
What will you do?

In terms of interaction, Windblown isn’t like Press Here, where each page is an invitation to engage. No, Windblown has an ending that encourages the reader to get creative (see above). Before you read this at story time, do yourself a favor and whip up a batch (or 20) of the shapes seen in the book. Thankfully, the work is mostly done for you thanks to an activity page on the Owlkids website.

Trust me – when you’re finished reading, kids will be ready to use them. (Side note: if Owlkids aren’t working on an app version of this book, they should – it’s perfect material for the touch screen realm.)

While Tullet is the instant comparison, Windblown‘s  abstract-to-concrete theme reminds me more of the work of Michael Hall – specifically Perfect Square and My Heart is a Zoo (two books that circulate very well at my K-2 building). Windblown would make a good story time pairing with either of those books.

The illustrations are simple and playful. Minimalist, to be sure. Aside from some simple black lines used to flesh out to the animal characters, the shapes you see on the cover are pretty much it.

On its own, Windblown is pretty good. It reaches its full potential, however, when the concept of the book is translated in real life. I hope that happens often. Get your scissors.

Review copy from the publisher.

Filed under: Reviews

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments
OwlkidsPicture Book

About Travis Jonker

Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

December 2022

9 Books I Loved (But Didn't Review) in 2022

by Travis Jonker

March 2022

Books on Film: I Need a New Butt!

by Travis Jonker

March 2022

Behind the Scenes Q&A: Skater Baby by Jack Noel

by Travis Jonker

March 2022

2022 Books from Caldecott Winners

by Travis Jonker

February 2022

Name That LEGO Book Cover! (#35)

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Haley Newsome on Unfamiliar | Interview

by J. Caleb Mozzocco

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

Graphic Novels: Inclusivity Fuels the Continued Boom!

SPONSORED

4 Middle Grade & YA Nonfiction Titles to Help Heal the World

15 Short & Sweet Love Stories for Tweens and Teens

33 New Releases, Including Books by Jerry Craft and Jerry Pinkney| Starred Reviews, February 2023

Everybody Loves a Winner | Top Stories on SLJ 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. PragmaticMom says

    March 5, 2013 at 9:15 am

    Love this idea of a picture book extending to art/math project!!

  2. Liz says

    March 5, 2013 at 9:36 am

    I love this. More French picture books, please!

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

  • Author/Illustrator Blogs

    • Erin Stead Illustration
    • Hey, Rabbit!
    • James Preller's Blog
    • MATTHEWCORDELLBLOGS
    • Mo Willems Doodles
    • The Scop
  • Book Blogs I Like

    • A Book and a Hug
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • A Kids Book a Day
    • A Year of Reading
    • Abby (the) Librarian
    • Awful Library Books
    • Becky’s Book Reviews
    • Better Book Titles
    • Book-A-Day Almanac
    • Bookends
    • books4yourkids.com
    • bookshelves of doom
    • Bottom Shelf Books
    • Calling Caldecott
    • Caustic Cover Critic
    • Chad C. Beckerman
    • Charlotte’s Library
    • Cheryl Rainfield
    • Chicken Spaghetti
    • CHILDREN’S ILLUSTRATION
    • Collecting Children’s Books
    • Cybils
    • EarlyWord
    • educating alice
    • Finding Wonderland
    • For Those About to Mock
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Good Show Sir
    • GottaBook
    • Great Kid Books
    • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
    • Hi Miss Julie!
    • Jen Robinson’s Book Page
    • Kidsmomo
    • Maria T. Middleton Design
    • Nerdy Book Club
    • Neverending Search
    • Nine Kinds of Pie
    • One Book, Two Books, Old Books, New Books
    • Out of the Box
    • Oz and Ends
    • PlanetEsme
    • Read Roger
    • Reading Rants!
    • Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
    • sharpread
    • ShelfTalker
    • so tomorrow
    • The Children's Book Review
    • The Miss Rumphius Effect
    • Uncovered Cover Art
    • Waking Brain Cells
    • Watch. Connect. Read.
  • Library Blogs

    • ALSC Blog
    • Blue Skunk Blog
    • librarian.net
    • LISNews
    • Stephen's Lighthouse
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Tame The Web: Libraries and Technology
    • Unshelved
  • Follow This Blog

    Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

    Primary Sidebar

    • News & Features
    • Reviews+
    • Technology
    • School Libraries
    • Public Libraries
    • Age Level
    • Ideas
    • Blogs
    • Classroom
    • Diversity
    • People
    • Job Zone

    Reviews+

    • Book Lists
    • Best Books
    • Media
    • Reference
    • Series Made Simple
    • Tech
    • Review for SLJ
    • Review Submissions

    SLJ Blog Network

    • 100 Scope Notes
    • A Fuse #8 Production
    • Good Comics for Kids
    • Heavy Medal
    • Neverending Search
    • Teen Librarian Toolbox
    • The Classroom Bookshelf
    • The Yarn

    Resources

    • 2022 Youth Media Awards
    • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
    • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
    • Summer Reading 2021
    • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
    • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
    • Summer Programming Survey
    • Research
    • White Papers / Case Studies
    • School Librarian of the Year
    • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
    • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

    Events & PD

    • In-Person Events
    • Online Courses
    • Virtual Events
    • Webcasts
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Media Inquiries
    • Newsletter Sign Up
    • Content Submissions
    • Data Privacy
    • Terms of Use
    • Terms of Sale
    • FAQs
    • Diversity Policy
    • Careers at MSI


    COPYRIGHT © 2023


    COPYRIGHT © 2023