Kisses on the Wind [Hardcover]

Lisa Moser (Author), Kathryn Brown (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Finding ways to keep a loved one with you helps to ease the pang of separation in this timeless, deeply touching tale.

The wagon is packed, and Mama and Papa are ready to begin the long journey to Oregon, but Lydia isn’t ready to say good-bye to Grandma. Who will braid Lydia’s hair each morning and tell her stories? Who will build boats with her made of twigs and leaves? How can you possibly say good-bye to someone you love so very much? Set in the time of the great westward expansion, this poignant story speaks to every reader who has ever been parted from someone he or she holds dear. It tells of a love that is big enough to span impossible distances — yet small enough to be carried inside our hearts.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2—Moving to Oregon and away from her beloved grandmother saddens a young pioneer girl. While her mother and father pack their belongings in a covered wagon for the thousand-mile trip cross-country, Lydia hides in the barn. She is enticed outside by her grandmother and they spend time together remembering the past and planning how to make their separation easier for them both. Grandma has written down the stories she's told Lydia since she was a baby and gives her the small book so the child won't forget. "'Now you'll always be with me,' I said. 'And every day I will think of you and love you.' 'And I'll be loving you,' said Grandma." After making and sailing a bark boat, having her hair braided by her grandmother one last time, and sharing thoughts about leaving, the little girl and the older woman are ready to part. One last kiss on the wind as the wagon pulls away creates a bittersweet ending. Soft, pastel watercolor illustrations gently depict the close-knit family and the homestead in the vast countryside with rolling hills as a backdrop. This is a poignant tale about changing households and the universal emotions that accompany this stressful situation.—Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Lisa Moser is the author of many books for children, including THE MONSTER IN THE BACKPACK, illustrated by Noah Z. Jones, and SQUIRREL'S WORLS, illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev. Lisa Moser
lives in Wisconsin.

Kathryn Brown is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including MY LITTLE GRANDMOTHER OFTEN FORGETS by Reeve Lindbergh. She lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; 1 edition (September 8, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763631108
• ISBN-13: 978-0763631109
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 0.4 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,633,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-wrenching goodbyes, October 29, 2009

By 

J. Grambo "Teacher" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kisses on the Wind (Hardcover)

Lydia and her family were packing the covered wagon for their long trek to Oregon, a thousand miles away. Lydia didn't want to go, didn't want to leave Grandma. She and Grandma took a walk together, made bark boats together, and Lydia put her head in Grandma's lap and cried. Grandma braided Lydia's hair and told her a story.

"I can't go to Oregon," Lydia said, "I'll miss the stories you tell."

Then Grandma reached into her apron pocket and gave Lydia a small brown book. "I wrote my stories down for you. When you miss me, you can read them." Then Lydia hugged Grandma a long time. She breathed her in deep, so she would not forget.

"I have to go," Lydia said.

"I know," said Grandma. Grandma stood at the gate as the wagon rolled away, and touched her hands to her lips. She flung her arms open wide, and sent kisses on the wind.

Lydia sent them right back.

It's hard to read this book aloud to a child who is dear to you without becoming choked up. You think what it would have been like to say goodbye to your loved ones, perhaps never to see them again. You give thanks for speedy highways and airplanes, for cell phones and email. And then you think again of those families saying goodbye long ago, and you realize that the book is not just about long ago, but about that wrenching, heart-torn ache of separation at any time, for any reason.

A wonderful book, with tender, insightful text and gorgeous watercolor illustrations on every page. A book to be kept and handed down and beloved forever.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Remember blowing kisses?, November 14, 2009

By 

Margaret Jane Rowe "Reader Reader" (Fairfield, Iowa USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kisses on the Wind (Hardcover)

Anyone who has ever blown a kiss to someone departing will love this story.
Anyone who has had, or dreamed of, a special relationship with a grandmother will love this story.
Anyone who has had to leave a place they loved with their whole heart will love this story.
It is very touching and uplifting.

5.0 out of 5 stars This soft and gentle book deals nicely with separation and loss issues children have to face!, September 8, 2009

By 

D. Fowler "Dragonfly77" (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kisses on the Wind (Hardcover)

Lydia sat on a quilt in front of the farmhouse. Her teapot and rag doll were there with her and one of the barn cats was licking milk from the creamer, but it was no tea party. She pensively clutched one of her cats to her chest and was already grieving the loss of Grandma. They were leaving for Oregon that very day and she "just couldn't say good-bye to Grandma." It was one of those heartrending things that would make anyone want to cry. She moved to the side of the old maple tree to watch Papa and Mama prepare the wagon for their long journey. It was simply too far to be away from her Grandma.

She tried to hide in the barn, but when she "peeked between the cracks" she saw Grandma swinging on her swing. They slowly began their ritual of saying good-bye without talking about the long journey ahead. They walked, they talked, remembered and Lydia cried until the tears no longer came. A robin flew by carrying grass for her nest. They ran together, laughing as they ran, carrying their memories of the place and each other. They stopped again to talk and were "picturing" the past as Grandma braided her hair and began to tell one of her stories. Would Lydia really be able to say good-bye to Grandma and carry her in her heart all the way to Oregon?

This was a beautiful, thoughtful story and the illustrations of Lydia reminded me a lot of Laura Ingalls. It's a story that gently deals with separation issues that not only children have to face, but all of us have to bear at one time or another. The illustrations were soft, gentle and said "Garth Williams" from the first page to the last. It is a very touching story that will be read time and time again. If you are a Grandma, this is one story you will LOVE to cuddle up with your grandchild and read every time you are together!