Weather: Wind (Ready to Read: Level One)

K-Gr 2-This beginning reader offers a simple introduction to an interesting topic. Bauer explains the general concept of how wind is produced and some of its tangible effects on our lives. For example, wind helps birds fly, carries plant seeds, and allows people to fly kites. It also moves clouds, makes waves, and can bend trees. "Wind can be scary. Or it can sing a gentle song." Wallace's watercolor artwork shows a young girl and her dog performing a variety of outdoor activities, the child's braids often flying in the breeze. The pictures help to clarify the text, which does a good job of introducing simple concepts and weather terms in an easy-reader format. Refer report writers to Arthur Dorros's Feel the Wind (1990) or Vicki Cobb's I Face the Wind (2003, both HarperCollins), both of which offer more thorough information for young readers.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.