Review: Wind is a Dance

Book cover art for wind is dance

Review: Wind is a Dance

Book cover art for wind is danceWind is a Dance

Written by: Debra Kempf Shumaker
Illustrated by: Josée Bisaillon
Kids Can Press, 2024

ISBN: 9781525308758 (hardcover)
9781525311635 (ebook)

$21.99 (hardcover)
$15.99 (ebook)
32 pages

Ages: 4 to 8 years old

Review by: Erin Dunlop

In this unique picture book, readers learn about the wind. This intangible phenomenon is beautifully illustrated as a dancer, a butterfly, a boxer, and a whisk, just to name a few, corresponding to its different intensities. Bisaillon truly brings various kinds of wind to life with her dynamic and whimsical style, which is a perfect complement to Kempf Shumaker’s sing-songy text. What makes this book unique, however, is its incorporation of text boxes that name and explain the scientific aspects of the different types of wind. Technical and practical (even instructions on how to shelter in more serious windstorms is included), these sections remain accessible. At the same time, their separate layout on the page makes them easy to skip over for younger story time audiences, if necessary. With additional information and a chart for measuring wind at the end of the book, Wind is a Dance is an excellent adaptable resource for a pre-k to grade 3 lesson or activity on the weather.