Kate, Who Tamed the Wind

When a man's cry of frustration reaches a girl named Kate, playing hopscotch in the town far below, she knows what to do. The man's house is buffeted by endless gusts of wind, and Kate understands that planting trees will help. She brings saplings up to his house, where she plants and waters them. The story is truthful about the long wait for results; as the pages turn and the trees grow, Kate becomes a teenager, and the man's beard goes silver. Scanlon's story combines timely concern for the environment, the recognition that children can be heroes, and quirky, rhythmic alliteration: "The trees grew till the leaves fluttered and the shutters stilled and the boards bounced back." The New England setting gives White familiar cultural referents to work with: white clapboard house, porch, rocking chair, and the red wagon Kate uses to trundle the trees up the hill. The excitement of this reassuring readaloud comes from the motion of the wind and the play of words. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Erin Murphy, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator's agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management. (Feb.)

K-Gr 3—Young Kate helps tame the wind that disrupts the life of a man living atop a steep hill by planting a stand of aspen trees. Delightful cumulative text describes the ever-present wind that bangs shutters, bends boards, spills tea, and even drives the birds away. The rhythm of the lengthening sentences as the number of blown items builds seems to mirror the growing intensity of the wind's force. Finally, the man cries, "What to do?" His cry is heard by little Kate playing at the foot of the hill. Doodling on the sidewalk, she arrives at a solution: trees. Kate loads her wagon with saplings, climbs the hill, and she and the man plant the trees together. As the trees grow along with the girl, they provide some protection from the blowing wind, transforming the man's house at the "tip-top of the green hill" from a "creeky" one to a place where the "dust [now dies] down, the tea steep[s], and the birds peep[s]." The illustrations, executed in watercolor and ink and digitally rendered, depict the wind in swirls of white across the pages. Clothing, shutters, curtains, and even food and kitchen utensils fly in the air. Kate, frowning with hands on hips, appears resourceful and determined. An informative author's note provides information about the importance of trees in our ecosystem as well as websites for ideas about how to protect them. VERDICT The lyrical text begs to be read aloud and is perfect for Arbor Day or Earth Day celebrations. A first purchase for ecology units as well as collections featuring bold girls.—Marianne Saccardi, Children's Literature Consultant, Cambridge, MA