Who Likes the Wind?

Britta Santowski is a freelance writer in Victoria, B.C.

This series of flap books engages a child’s curiosity by providing mini science lessons to inquiring minds. If your child is in the “why” stage, this is a perfect time to introduce him or her to these books.

Who Likes the Snow begins with the image of a father shovelling the snow. The text reads: “I like the snow because I can use my new shovel.” (Okay, it’s maybe not always realistic from the adult’s point of view, but it will pass a child’s reading.) The facing page has a young child making snowballs, and the text reads: “I wonder why it snows.” Open the flap on this facing page and read about where snow comes from, how it is formed, and why it falls to the ground. Learn why snow is white, why snowflakes all look different, how snow muffles sound, and why some snow sticks and some doesn’t.

Who Likes the Wind answers questions like why it blows, how it cools a person, what it feels like, and how it makes a pinwheel turn. Who Likes the Sun looks at why the sun is warm, how sunglasses work, where dewdrops comes from, how grapes get turned into raisins, why some flowers have a smell and others don’t, how the sun makes rainbows, and why the sky turns red, among other things. Who Likes the Rain discusses such things as where puddles come from, why it thunders, why birds fluff their feathers, why the air smells different after rain, where the water from the street goes, why worms come out in the rain, why the air sometimes feels cooler after a rain.

The illustrations use bright pastels and show kids happily engaged in exploration, play, and learning—in these books all three are one and the same. Etta Kaner and Marie Lafrance have created books that are fun and engaging, and will open up doors of wonder to young learners. Highly recommended.