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Mirandy and Brother Wind / by Patricia C. McKissack ; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.

By: McKissack, Pat, 1944-.
Contributor(s): Pinkney, Jerry.
Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Knopf, c1988Description: [32] p. : col. ill. ; 29 cm.ISBN: 0394887654 :; 0394987659 (lib. bdg.).Subject(s): Dance -- Juvenile fiction | Winds -- Juvenile fiction | African Americans -- Juvenile fictionSummary: To win first prize in the Junior Cakewalk, Mirandy tries to capture the wind for her partner.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Collection Shelving location Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Book Book Ferry Ave. African American Children E McK (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 05000005011437
Book Book Voorhees African American Children E McK (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 0010104970008
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Illus. in full color."Mirandy is sure she'll win the cake walk if she can catch Brother Wind for her partner, but he eludes all the tricks her friends advise. This gets a high score for plot, pace, and characterization. Mirandy sparkles with energy and determination. Multi-hued watercolors fill the pages with patterned ferment. A treat to pass on to new generations."--(starred) Bulletin, Center for Children's Books. Cassette running time- 20 min.

To win first prize in the Junior Cakewalk, Mirandy tries to capture the wind for her partner.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

As a prefatory note explains, this picture book was inspired by a photo of the author's grandparents winning a cakewalk``a dance rooted in Afro-American culture''and her grandfather's boast that, in her dancing, his wife had captured the wind. In the book, Mirandy determines to catch Brother Wind and have him for her partner in the upcoming junior cakewalk. She tries a number of tactics springing from folk wisdom, and finally succeeds in trapping her prey in the barn. At the contest, Mirandy chooses to dance with her friend Ezelbut, with Brother Wind to do her bidding, the two friends win the cakewalk in style. Told in spirited dialect and rendered in lavish, sweeping watercolors, this provides an intriguing look at a time gone by. As a story, however, it proves somewhat disappointing. After the colorful description of cakewalking in the author's note and the anticipation created through Mirandy's own eagerness, the brief and rather static scenes portraying the dance itself are a letdown. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 3 Sultry watercolor washes in a realistic flowing style spread luxuriously and consistently over every two pages in this story set in the rural south. Young Mirandy wants to win her town's cakewalk jubilee, a festive dance contest. (According to the ``Author's Note,'' this dance was ``first introduced in America by slaves. . .and is rooted in Afro-American culture.'') Everyone says that if she captures the Wind he will do her bidding, but nobody seems to know how to capture him. In the end, Mirandy does believe that she has captured Brother Wind, but she also proves that she is a true friend to clumsy Ezel. McKissack's sincere belief in the joy of living is delightfully translated into this story which concludes, ``When Grandmama Beasley had seen Mirandy and Ezel turning and spinning, moving like shadows in the flickering candlelight, she'd thrown back her head, laughed, and said, `Them chullin' is dancing with the Wind!' '' A captivating story, with a winning heroine, told in black dialect. Gratia Banta, Germantown Public Library, Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 1-3. Mirandy's effort to capture the wind to help her win the cakewalk contest is set in a small southern town at the turn of the century.

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