When The Wind Stops [Paperback]

Charlotte Zolotow (Author), Stefano Vitale (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: January 31, 1997 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years | Series: Picture Book Ser. | Lexile Measure: 490L (What's this?)

Where does the wind go when it stops?

When a little boy asks this question at the end of a happy day, his mother explains that the wind does not stop-it blows away to make the trees dance somewhere else.

Reassuringly, she tells him that nothing ever ends, it simply begins in another place or in another way. Rain goes back into the clouds to create new storms, waves fold back upon the sea to become new waves, and the day moves on to make way for the night, bringing the darkness and stars for the little boy to dream in.

Charlotte Zolotow's lyrical prose and Stefano Vitale's rich illustrations make this a beautiful celebration of the cycle of life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-K?A perfect introduction to natural science. Although this new version (Harper, 1962; o.p.) has a completely new look and the text has been revised somewhat, the quiet, contemplative mood is unchanged. A young boy is reluctant for his day to end, but his mother assures him that nothing in the natural world ends. "It begins in another place, or in a different way." She responds with rich verbal images to his questions about where the wind, waves, and clouds go, and about the changes of the seasons. Revisions in the text include more questions about the environment and the elimination of questions about man-made things, such as trains and roads. Vitale's illustrations provide a visual response to the simple questions asked, while adding interesting detail about various forms of underwater life, the elements of storms, and landscapes in other parts of the world. Using paint on wood, the artist includes several different styles of modern art. There are hints of Van Gogh, Chagall, and others. Some scenes are done in the folk-art style the illustrator used so successfully in Jim Aylesworth's The Folks in the Valley (HarperCollins, 1992). Together art and text make this new edition a hymn to the continuity of the natural world.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. At the close of a wonderful day, a young boy asks his mother why the day must end. "Nothing ends," he is told. "It begins in another place or in a different way." In this revised and newly illustrated edition of Zolotow's 1962 picture book, the boy's gently probing questions are answered and nature's never-ending cycle of renewal is revealed. Without compromising the ethereal quality of the original book, extraneous text has been eliminated and some of the words and sentences have been rearranged to give the story a smoother flow. Exquisite paintings by Italian illustrator Vitale replace the black-and-white drawings of the first edition. The full-color scenes, painted on wood, gloriously depict heaven and earth and give concrete meaning to abstract concepts. Not only wonderful for lap sharing, this beautiful book will also be a rich supplement for a science unit on the elements or the seasons. Lauren Peterson --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (January 31, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064434729
• ISBN-13: 978-0064434720
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 0.2 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #365,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful book about the continuing nature of life . . . May 29, 2001

By Lucy

Format:Paperback

I found this to be a beautifully written & illustrated book about the renewal of each day. The story begins with a little boy sad to see the day end and his mother explaining to him that the day ends so night can begin. . . The prose is soothing and imaginative . . . the message is about how they day can end for you, but it begins again in another place for someone else. . . it seems to me to be a gentle way of talking about letting go. . . letting go of the day, of the season, of the wind, of things, so that these things can carry on in a different way. I think it is a great way for a child to begin to understand about the finite nature of life. Also, is addresses the immediate and strong feeling of my toddler of NO NIGHT NIGHTS!!! The prose is so soothing and imaginative it actually lulled my child to sleep. The illustrations are colorful and beautiful. An EXCELLENT book.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The simple but eloquent lesson that "Nothing ends..." June 21, 2004

By Lawrance M. Bernabo HALL OF FAMETOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

"When the Wind Stops" has a very simple beginning. After a day in which the great bright yellow sun has been shining all day the sun is getting ready to sink beneath the horizon. But as the day is coming to an end a little boy is sorry to see the day end. We learn of some of the simple things he did during the day, playing with his friend in a garden and listening to his father read him a story, and when his mother come to say good night the little boy asks, "Why does the day have to end?" Author Charlotte Zolotow ("Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present," "William's Doll") provides the answer to that eternal question and others in a similar vein in lyrical prose.

The simple answer, of course, is that the day does not end but begins somewhere else. Not only the sun but the wind and the mountain tops, the waves and the rain, are all presented as being parts of the great cycle of life. One day the little boys and girls who ask such questions will be taking science courses and will receive more detailed explanations for the changing of the seasons, the water cycle, and other natural cycles. But in "When the Wind Stops" they will find the same grand ideas expressed in simple and lyrical terms. The stunning paintings by Stafano Vitale ("The Folks in the Valley: A Pennsylvania Dutch ABC," "Christmas Lullaby") are done on wood, adding a lovely dimension to this exquisite little book that will charm inquisite children and their caring parents alike.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Story That Clears the Fog on Difficult Concepts August 21, 2000

By Paul Martin

Format:Hardcover

In easy language with good illustrations, this book will help children to understand why the day has to end, where the wind goes when it stops, where the waves go when they break on the sand, where does the rain go, etc.

The story flows like a poem, yet offers insight into complex concpets, and demonstrates life's eternal evolution and motion.