By Steven Schoenfeld; Illustrated by Chuck Gonzales
Age Range: 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Lansing Press (2015)
ISBN: 978-0578152455
What to expect: Grandparents, Kindness, Values
In children’s book author Steven Schoenfeld’s Can You Buy Me the Wind?, children and parents alike are treated to a rhyming picture book that seeks to instill a solid set of values.
Sammy’s grandparents have come to babysit her while her parents travel for a few days. Upon their arrival Sammy immediately asks if they have come baring gifts—so begins the lesson of understanding the nature of how we must work hard to earn our wants and needs. Her grandparents set chores and goals for her to achieve before she is rewarded with a kite. Schoenfeld is careful to include that there are some things that we just cannot buy—when Sammy receives her kite she is unable to fly it due to a lack of wind and she asks, “Can you buy me the wind?” And here is where the true intrinsic principle and power of kindness sets in; her grandparents encourage her not to feel blue but to keep right on going being the best that she can be.
Those things in our lives/That don’t have a price/Can come to you, Sammy/By just being nice.
Schoenfeld rhymes with an ease and simplicity that never falters. The verses are bite-size and lend themselves well to young ears and early readers. As a parent, he has built in multiple mini lessons that will appeal to parents and caregivers; such as providing different chores children can do to help out around the house. The use of fun grandparents as the messengers is a smart choice, too—there is no need for nagging moms and dads here. The bright artwork from illustrator Chuck Gonzales provides the finishing touch to the text, accentuating and punctuating Schoenfeld’s advisory tale.
Can You Buy Me the Wind? can be used as an opener for an extended visit from grandparents or a lead-in to the introduction of chores. It’s a great choice for a bonding moment and shared reading experience between children (ages 4 through 8) and a parent or grandparent.
Add this book to your collection: Can You Buy Me the Wind?
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About the Author
Steven Schoenfeld grew up in Long Island, New York, where he still lives with his wife and two children. He is a graduate of University of Maryland, part time writer of children books and has had a successful career on Wall Street for the past 17 years.
About the Illustrator
Chuck Gonzales is an illustrator working and living in New York City. Chuck works in the adult sector, children’s sector and internationally in editorial and advertising. He has illustrated many books and book covers for clients such as Chronicle, Harper Collins, Penguin, Scholastic, and Little Brown Books for Young Readers.
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