The Wind Boy [Hardcover]

Ethel Cook Eliot (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Lorrie Holt delightfully narrates this abridged audio version of Ethel Cook Eliot's 1923 tale (Raven Rock Pr., 1996) about a brother and sister who are able to see into a magical fairy world hovering right over our own. Reading with an ethereal quality perfect for this old-fashioned story, Holt helps create a verbal image of Eliot's inviting mystical world. Brief musical interludes at the beginning of each chapter and at key points throughout the story add to the tale's overall airy tone. The quality of the audio is clear, the reading is well paced, and the story will appeal to a wide range of ages.
Lori Craft, Downers Grove Public Library, IL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

From AudioFile

When Nan, the strange girl from the purple mountains, answers an advertisement for a "general housework girl," worlds of fantasy, caring, and contentment are opened for a refugee family. Ethel Cook's novel of children Kay and Gentian, who learn to escape from the harsh realities of their life with the assistance of the Wind Boy, has intrigued readers for many years. Lorrie Holt shares the magic of the story in a light and lyrical manner. Her gentle voice echoes Nan's concern and interest in bringing happiness to Detra and her children. Holt underscores the mystery by differentiating the voices of the characters. Music provides the calming background for the shifts between the real world and the fantasy world. THE WIND BOY is a soothing and intriguing recording. A.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Raven Rocks Pr (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0961596155
• ISBN-13: 978-0961596156
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,118,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite book growing up., January 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wind Boy (Paperback)

I'm 55 now and have held onto a copy of Elliot's The Wind Boy ever since I was a boy. I remember being read the story and then reading it to myself later. Somehow, and I can't say just how, the story gave me hope -- hope for the world and hope for me as a boy whose father wasn't in the house because of divorce rather than because of a war.

If we could all have the chance to see our lives and worlds from the Clear Land, perhaps we could figure out how to love, how to be peacemakers with more grace and ease.

Must reading for anyone who could use a little more hope or a greater belief in the magic inherent in this world.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magical Tale from A Clear-Eyed Author, December 7, 2003

By 

Michelle Levine (Jerusalem, Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Wind Boy (Paperback)

The Wind Boy is not my absolute favorite of Ethel Cook Eliot's work, but it's a marvelous story for young children with creative minds and very well written - and an unsung classic. It's also a blessing that one publisher wised up to the great loss to our generation of the difficulty finding her books - best among them I'd say is "House on the Edge of Things", also try to get your hands on a copy of "House Above the Trees". For young adults, "The Vanishing Comrade" is an ABSOLUTE MUST!! and this book is easy to obtain on www.bookfinder.com (Amazon is one of many booksellers listed there).

The basic concept inherent in most of Eliot's books is that all life is interconnected (yet she takes no particular religious tack whatsoever, so the books are truly universal) and that most people (EVEN KIDS!) are simply too jaded to see it, and therefore our blurred vision holds us back from seeing most of the beauty in life. Eliot's characters, however, have clear vision, so we see what some of what they see - a fantasy world unparalleled in modern fantasy lit, in it's idyllic vision. In "The Wind Boy" Nan comes out of the mountains seeking this particular family, the children clearly in need and in a painful situation, their father apparently lost. She teaches the children what we all need to be taught - she brings magic to their lives. The children go on to share the magic with others. What more should we ask of our own children?

I can't imagine a better gift to share with children than Eliot's literature, and while I make no claims at being an expert, I have run the Children's section at a Borders store, I'm a sometime storyteller and I'm a huge collector of children's/young adult lit. If you want a picture book for young kids, and you can't find Eliot's "House" books (they are almost impossible to come by at any price) try Seymour Leichman's "The Boy Who Could Sing Pictures" (also out of print but easily available through Amazon or Bookfinder.

I bless you to see with clear eyes.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for children--and grownups--of all ages., September 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wind Boy (Hardcover)

This is a book about a family displaced by war, living in a town which dislikes strangers. The father is missing in action; no one knows if he is dead or alive, or how he could possibly find them. When a nanny named Nan joins the mother and two children, fantastic things begin to happem. Nan and other characters rescue the children from the relentless prejudice of the people in the town.

This book provides comfort for anyone who has ever felt singled out or left out. It also gives a valuable lesson on empathy and compassion.

Wind Boy has been read--and adored--by 3 generations in my family. We are delighted to see it back in print.