Millicent and the Wind

Gwen Zilm was Technical Services Librarian, Okanagan College, Kelowna, British Columbia.

This is the eleventh title in the highly successful “Munsch for Kids” series written by Robert Munsch and published by Annick Press. Almost without exception the Munsch for Kids stories are children’s fantasies, adventures in the realm of the imagination, with contemporary settings. Millicent, in Millicent and the Wind, lives with her family in the mountains. The tone is set in these lines: “Far away in the valley is where the other children lived. It took three whole days just to walk there.” A trip through the forest down into the valley takes Millicent and her mother to town and a disappointing encounter with other children. She returns home still wishing for a playmate. Here the fantasy begins, and Millicent has a friend complete with a Walkman. The colour illustrations on each page are done in midtones of blue, green, and yellow. Detailed and well composed, they present an idyllic picture of Millicent and the mountains and forest that are her home. These alternative illustrations are the work of Suzanne Duranceau, and even by themselves they will encourage children to use their imagination.

Aimed at children between the ages of four and eight, Millicent and the Wind is suitable as a book for beginning readers or as a read-aloud book. Sentences are well structured and are varied in length. Recommended for all children’s collections in day care centres, schools, and libraries.