Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind [Hardcover]

Gary Ross (Author), Matthew Myers (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: November 13, 2012 | Age Range: 6 - 9 years

A soaring bedsheet carries a young boy on three incredible adventures in this compelling debut by acclaimed film director Gary Ross.

Bartholomew Biddle’s life has always been pretty ordinary, but when a huge wind blows past his window one night, he feels the call of adventure — and he can’t resist the urge to grab his bedsheet and catch a ride. Soon he’s soaring far above his little town, heading wherever the wind takes him! After spending time on an island full of pleasure-seeking pirates and at a prep school that boasts a hundred shades of gray, Bart finds himself in a mysterious cove where the wind doesn’t blow. Stuck, Bart is forced to face the fact that his flying days might be over. Will he ever get home again?

Editorial Reviews

Review

With a seductively Seuss-ean cadence, Ross’s verse adventure delightfully dares young and old to seize the day.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Ross’s screenwriter background serves his debut well—this novella-in-verse boasts engaging characters, a sturdy plot, and the never-fail enchantment of flying. . . . It’s not hard to imagine this on a big screen.
—Publishers Weekly

About the Author

Gary Ross is a critically acclaimed screenwriter, director, and producer who has been nominated for four Academy Awards. His films include Big, Dave, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, and The Tale of Despereaux. Most recently, he directed The Hunger Games, the first movie based on Suzanne Collins’s best-selling dystopian trilogy. He has also served as president of the Board of Commissioners for the Los Angeles Public Library, as well as on the boards of many other organizations. Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind is his first children’s book. Gary Ross lives in Los Angeles with his family.

Matthew Myers is the illustrator of many books for young readers, including Tyrannosaurus Dad by Liz Rosenberg and Clink by Kelly DiPucchio. Matthew Myers lives in Brooklyn.

Product Details

• Age Range: 6 - 9 years
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick (November 13, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763649201
• ISBN-13: 978-0763649203
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 0.6 x 11 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,882 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprises, adventure and a moral all in rhyme..... November 23, 2012

By Gail Cooke HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Screenwriter, director and producer Gary Ross has won plaudits for his work in each of those fields and he's about to receive another high-five from me for his first children's book. Bartholomew Biddle is a winner, filled with excitement, surprise, adventure and a moral - all delivered in rhyme.

Bartholomew is five feet of derring-do who cannot resist the call of a gusty wind that blows by his window one night. In a matter of seconds he has grabbed the corners of his bed sheet, stood on the window sill and realized that "...this silly old wind was nothing to fear with a bed sheet to sail and an instinct to steer."

He took quite a ride on this "granddaddy of Winds" first landing in a treetop bed where he spends the night. With morning he discovers he's on an island inhabited by pirates. Surprisingly enough, the buccaneers turn out to be friendly and soon Bartholomew joins them in a succession of days filled with fun. However, all realize that constant fun isn't fun if that's all you know, So, Bartholomew waits for the right wind and takes off again.

He enjoys several adventures and makes a good friend before realizing that he should be going home. What he finds when he gets there is a worthy lesson for both young ones and their parents.

Full color paintings by Matthew Myers bring added life to the tale.

Highly recommended.

- Gail Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventure big & bold and in rhyme to boot December 31, 2012

By Vera

Format:Hardcover

About the book: Bartholomew Biddle's life has always been pretty ordinary, but when a huge wind blows past his window one night, he feels the call of adventure -- and he can't resist the urge to grab his bedsheet and catch a ride. Soon he's soaring far above his little town, heading wherever the wind takes him! After spending time on an island full of pleasure-seeking pirates and at a prep school that boasts a hundred shades of gray, Bart finds himself in a mysterious cove where the wind doesn't blow. Stuck, Bart is forced to face the fact that his flying days might be over. Will he ever get home again?

A soaring bedsheet carries a young boy on three incredible adventures in this compelling debut by acclaimed film director Gary Ross.

My thoughts: This is a magical book of adventure filled with bold, boy-loving pictures by artist Matthew Myers who wields his oil filled brush boldly on canvas to create images to bring the most adventurous boy's fancy to life.

I love the poetic story format and while lengthy it will capture the imagination and interest of readers and listeners alike. Example: After he lands in pirate paradise...

"So, you thought we were all
just some nasty marauders,
larcenous thieves,
and petty defrauders?

"But nothing, you see,
could be further from true.
I mean, why do we all
do the things that we do?

"The rings in our noses,
the parrots, the rum--
we just do that stuff
because it is fun!"

Children will build learning and listening skills by engaging in a story written in rhyme and this one is lengthy which will aid in their development of a learning attention span. Their vocabulary will be challenged and increased and it will stick because it comes to them in the poetic format.

The book is about imagination and the worlds of adventure our imaginations can take us on. It is also about parents realizing that their child will eventually take off on his/her own adventures as the child grows into maturity.

My concerns: In the book are the use of "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my God!" which I find offensive and entirely uncalled for - especially in children's literature.

DISCLOSURE: I was provided a complimentary copy of Bartholomew Biddle and the Very Big Wind by Candlewick Press on behalf of the author for the purpose of my honest review. Opinions expressed are solely my own. Another copy is being provided by Candlewick Press for the purpose of the giveaway and will be shipped directly to the winner by Candlewick Press.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Where was this book when I was a kid? December 17, 2012

By Kendra Lacy

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Bartholomew Biddle is the book I wish I had when I was a kid. It's not that I didn't have books that captured my imagination. Narnia and the like took well care of that. But it's a book that most reminds me of all the things I loved about movies like "The Goonies," stories that dared ask, how could you ever possibly be bored when adventure is right outside your window?

Bartholomew Biddle finds new worlds to explore by simply grabbing a bed sheet and riding the winds. He meets and befriends pirates in one world, gets caught in a valley that seems to trap all explorers, as it's there he meets Amelia Earhart, and most importantly passes on his knowledge of flight to a boy trapped in a world that seems lifted from "A Wrinkle in Time."

The story is written in verse and fortunately never gets bogged down in it. The illustrations are beautiful and equal to the story itself.

It is a book that parents should read to children right before they go to sleep at night, because it will undoubtably cue up the most amazing dreams.