Hear the Wind Blow written by Doe Boyle and illustrated by Emily Paik, published by Albert Whitman & Co.
This beautiful picture book highlights the wind in all its glory, but also in its devastation. Boyle and Paik introduce readers to a child's experience of wind in her neighborhood, on the beach, and how it gives warning of a much bigger storm ahead.
Boyle's verse amuses with lines like, "hear the scuffling, ruffling flutter -- / leaves go scuttling in the gutter," as well as it teaches with lines like "Crested wavelets toss the ocean;/ wind creates their restless motion." And she chooses the perfect words to comfort the reader with these lines, "Nested, cozy, quilts piled round,/ you drown out the fearsome sound."
Hear the Wind invites readers to experience a hurricane from a safe distance and to realize there is always calm again after a storm.
Although a fictional tale, each stanza and corresponding image represent another category of the Beaufort Wind Force Scale. Boyle also provides an informative author's note and back matter to further the reader's understanding of wind with a more detailed explanation of the wind scale.
Imagine It!
Imagine a beautiful day outside. It's sunny, and you want to play outside.
By reading through the Beaufort Wind Force Scale, find which wind category would be best suited to... hear a soft wind chime, fly a kite, sail a toy boat in the swimming pool, or sail a real sailboat on the lake or ocean. What other activities could you imagine? When would be the best time enjoy them?
Imagine it's an extremely windy day. By looking at the scale, at which category is it best for you to play inside?
Write, draw, or act out your favorite outdoor activity. What wind category could safely correspond to it?
Write, draw, or act out your favorite indoor activity. What wind category might be taking place?