  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 02/01/1989 PreS-Gr 3 Sultry watercolor washes in a realistic flowing style spread luxuriously and consistently over every two pages in this story set in the rural south. Young Mirandy wants to win her town's cakewalk jubilee, a festive dance contest. (According to the ``Author's Note,'' this dance was ``first introduced in America by slaves. . .and is rooted in Afro-American culture.'') Everyone says that if she captures the Wind he will do her bidding, but nobody seems to know how to capture him. In the end, Mirandy does believe that she has captured Brother Wind, but she also proves that she is a true friend to clumsy Ezel. McKissack's sincere belief in the joy of living is delightfully translated into this story which concludes, ``When Grandmama Beasley had seen Mirandy and Ezel turning and spinning, moving like shadows in the flickering candlelight, she'd thrown back her head, laughed, and said, `Them chullin' is dancing with the Wind!' '' A captivating story, with a winning heroine, told in black dialect. Gratia Banta, Germantown Public Library, Ohio - Copyright 1989 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 01/01/1989 *Starred Review* The junior cakewalk contest is fast approaching, and Mirandy thinks she would like Brother Wind to be her partner: “Then I’d be sure to win.” She tries hard to catch him, even going to see Mis’ Poinsettia, who is rumored to be a conjurer, but Brother Wind proves too slippery—until the afternoon a quick-thinking Mirandy slams the barn door behind him. “Now,” she says, “you got to do whatever I ask.” At the dance, Mirandy pairs herself with Ezel, the boy whose invitation she has resisted, and calls on Brother Wind for help; weeks afterward, their prizewinning performance is still the talk of the town. Several breaks in time interrupt the narrative, but Pinkney’s expansive pictures sustain the reader’s attention. His paintings are best viewed from a bit of a distance, which makes the blurred lines and myriad shading appear more sharply focused. Warm colors and homey scenes enhance the story’s strong sense of a turn-of-the-century rural black community. Inspired by a family story, McKissack’s tale is both fanciful and grounded in affectionate remembrance. - Copyright 1989 Booklist. Loading...
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