Mirandy and Brother Wind

Mirandy and Brother Wind
AuthorPatricia McKissack
IllustratorJerry Pinkney
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's picture book,
Published1988 (Alfred A. Knopf)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback)
Pages32 (unpaginated)
ISBN9780394887654
OCLC15220842

Mirandy and Brother Wind is a 1988 children's picture book by Patricia McKissack and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is about a girl, Mirandy, who attempts to catch the wind so he will be her partner for the upcoming junior cakewalk.

Reception

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The School Library Journal in a review of Mirandy and Brother Wind described the illustrations as "Sultry watercolor washes in a realistic flowing style spread luxuriously and consistently over every two pages.." and concluded "A captivating story, with a winning heroine, told in black dialect."[1]

Kirkus Reviews, in a starred review, wrote "As she did in Flossie and the Fox, McKissack has created in Mirandy a character full of vigor, humor, and imagination. Pinkney captures the liveliness of the story in his expansive paintings, dappled with impressionistic hues;"[2] and Publishers Weekly wrote "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."[3]

It has been made into a musical for young audiences. The play, by librettist Michael J. Bobbitt and composer/lyricist John L. Cornelius II, received its debut at Adventure Theatre in metropolitan Washington, D.C., in January 2011.[4][5]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "Mirandy and Brother Wind". Buffalo and Erie County Public Library. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mirandy and Brother Wind". Kirkus Reviews. Kirkus Media LLC. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  3. ^ "Mirandy and Brother Wind". Publishers Weekly. PWxyz LLC. September 12, 1988. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  4. ^ Debbie Minter Jackson (January 26, 2011). "Mirandy and Brother Wind". dctheatrescene.com. DC Theatre Scene. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. ^ Wren, Celia (January 27, 2011). "At children's musical 'Mirandy and Brother Wind,' exuberance in the air". Washington Post. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  6. ^ a b Betty L. Criscoe (1990). Award-winning books for children and young adults: an annual guide, 1989. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810823365.