Sunny

Linda Ludke is a librarian at the London Public Library.

Both of these artfully designed books feature wire-and-cloth dolls with
black dots for eyes and yarn hair. The simple, straightforward
storylines are vividly brought to life by clear photographs that appear
three-dimensional.

In Sunny, a young boy listens to the sounds of the city as he explores
his neighbourhood. He hears the “whshshsh” of a spinning pinwheel
and the “hop hop hop” of hopscotch players. Inspired to make music
himself, he has an impromptu “hootenanny” with friends by whistling
and banging pots and pans. The imaginative background details include
rulers as seesaws, peppermint candies as marbles, and pencils as
telephone poles. A 10–song CD is enclosed.

In Windy, we follow a young girl in pursuit of a missing kite. Her
search takes her through a meadow, an orchard, and a pond, where she
sees colourful kites belonging to origami rabbits, tissue-paper
chickens, and cut-paper fish. While relating her adventures to Big Al,
the owl, she discovers that her kite has been caught in her own tree all
along. As a creative extension to the story, kite-making instructions
are included on the inside of the dust jacket.

Windy and Sunny are visual treats, and both titles are highly
recommended.