Though the story within the pages of The North Wind and the Sun is one of “you get more bees with honey than vinegar” (I don’t like flies) is not new, but the way the author presents things takes on a fresh feeling. The art is child-like but far from childish. Perhaps more for an adult than the usual picture book crowd, this is a delightful book for anyone’s library. Philip C. Stead has adapted (or retold) a folk tale that I am unfamiliar with. Perhaps it is just his unique tale that is presented in a folklore format, or just a lesser known one. It has a Scandinavian or German accent to the theme (I say this as it reminds me of tales I know are from those areas, and of course it has a fairy tale or folklore tone that gives it that old school/old world feeling).
The theme is the Sun and North Wind, in a bragging way for Wind, shows who is stronger by using their specials and unique abilities to make the sisters of the story take off their coats. We see kindness, anger, and other emotions, we see what the Sun can do and what the strong North Wind can do. And in the meantime, we must decide who is the stronger of the two and why.
This old world or old school feeling really comes from the artwork. These illustrations have the details needed, but are minimalistic as well. The colors are primary or basic and not “popping off the page” and yet, not muted. Perhaps my favorite part of the story is the feeling I got with the three sisters of the story. They both have a youthful aurora and the wisdom of the physical age you see. Their details are simple, but perhaps my favorite part of things as they are expressive without actually saying words. And if this book is not being noticed for these illustrations, they should be.
Read as a online reader copy, it is available and is a perfect gift for the holidays, or any day.
