Who Has Seen the Wind (WO Mitchell)

On Goodreads, I gave this book a 3. Part of me says, who am I to give this a 3?! It's a classic that many people love. I didn't really love it. However, I also didn't hate it. I feel like it is one of those books that I would need to read again and again and discuss with other people who really gain a good appreciation for it. It rambled and I found it hard to follow. There were a ton of characters in the book and I had a hard time keeping them all straight.

I read this with my book club and the meeting was last night. After discussing it, I did find more reasons to appreciate it.

Favorite quotes:

p. 176 And when she was through, he looked down at her with his face slightly wry and ever so tender. What did you expect? You don't expect to be taken seriously, do you? You're only a schoolteacher. You're not the mayor, the banker, a businessman; you're not the wife even of a property owner. What you should do is pick a man of weight in town, marry him, then go to work.


Goodreads says:

When W.O. Mitchell died in 1998 he was described as “Canada's best-loved writer.” Every commentator agreed that his best – and his best-loved – book was Who Has Seen the Wind. Since it was first published in 1947, this book has sold almost a million copies in Canada. 

As we enter the world of four-year-old Brian O’Connal, his father the druggist, his Uncle Sean, his mother, and his formidable Scotch grandmother (“she belshes…a lot”), it soon becomes clear that this is no ordinary book. As we watch Brian grow up, the prairie and its surprising inhabitants like the Ben and Saint Sammy – and the rich variety of small-town characters – become unforgettable. This book will be a delightful surprise for all those who are aware of it, but have never quite got around to reading it, till now.

The Important Book (Margaret Wise Brown)

I like the idea of listening to why people think something is important. The reason it is important could change, depending on the circumstances too. I think more important than the reasons one person says something is important, is to find out why they think that is the important thing about that object. Could be a could addition to a lesson on elaborative detail and descriptive writing (although, the poems aren't very elaborative). Could focus on using the most important descriptors. Could also be used for teaching main ideas.

I've heard a few teachers rave about this book. I'll have to ask them why they love it. "The important thing about The Important Book is...." LOL

Goodreads says:

"Rekindles the sense of wonder we were born with. True poetry about perceiving the world around us."*

Margaret Wise Brown, the New York Times bestselling author of the perennial classics Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny, asks children to think deeply about the importance of everyday objects, from apples to spoons. With lyrical words and vivid illustrations by Caldecott winner Leonard Weisgard, The Important Book shows children just how important everyday objects can be.

What is the most important thing about a spoon? The fact that you can eat with it? What about an apple? Or a shoe? This book helps curious preschoolers notice important details about their everyday surroundings, like daisies are white, rain is wet, and a spoon is used for eating.

For the important thing about The Important Book is that the book resonates long after it's closed. What's most important about many familiar things—like rain and wind, apples and daisies—is suggested in rhythmic words and vivid pictures. "A perfect book. The text establishes a word game which tiny children will accept with glee," said Kirkus.

Chosen as a "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children" by the American National Education Association.