I really found this book to be scary for younger and sensitive children. Its the story of a little girl and her kite on a windy day and while doing so she imagines monsters and goblins. A did not like the artwork at all and felt it also was scary and dark. I don't recommend this book to children.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I thought the pictures in this book were unique and interesting. I liked the art. But, I think this book might be a little too scary for most kids.

The Windy Day is a short, whimsical picture book with beautiful illustrations. The story told is an adventure in a girl’s imagination when she goes out to fly her kite and encounters different monsters of other spooky things. This may be a bit dark or frightening for some children, which would be my only hesitation. There is an overarching theme of finding inner bravery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to read and provide an unbiased review.

This is such a cute little book. It's essentially a kid's action book about a little girl who goes to fly her kite on a windy day and her imagination turns the world around her into an amazing adventure with pirates, goblins, and monsters.

The illustrations are so cute and my kids were absolutely enthralled with the story and couldn't wait to see what happened next.

It's great for older kids- I would say about 5 and up because of the monster aspect that might be a little scary for younger kiddos.

The book is a cute and unique story that I would recommend to parents looking for a new picture book different from the usual stories that are overflowing the shelves.

Very whimsical pictures. Recently when I read that the moon does not lose its footprint, because it does not have winds, I thought what a loss for those on Moon, they can not experience a windy day and the frustration of getting your kite to fly or face your fears like the little girl in tis book. The text placement in the center as one whole too works.

I received this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. I loved the illustrations for this book, it's what originally attracted me to the book. I liked this story but I feel that some kids might find it a little scary.

A little girl wants to fly her kite on a windy day, but she has to be brave enough to make it through the woods which she just knows are crawling with all sorts of nasty creatures. And then her kite flying adventure gets taken over by goblins from a pirate cloud. Will this day end in disaster?

This feels like something Maurice Sendak would have written. It is creepy enough that kids with overactive imaginations might genuinely be freaked out by it, but it might also be the kind of thing that slightly daring little kids who want a little shiver-filled thrill while reading would delight to find. But when you step back, there’s also a message in there for the kid with overactive imagination who sees monsters in every dark shadow (which was very much me at a young age). The girl sees all these monsters chasing her, but then she finds a big wolf-dog who helps scare them off and she dubs the wolf-dog courage. He helps her have fun with kite flying and no longer fear the path through the woods. Can you catch on to the imagery? Will that little one with an overactive imagination catch on and be able to find their own wolf-dog of courage? I’m not sure if this book would have helped me or not as a child, but I am sure there are kids out there who could find it helpful. Still, it would be good to know the kid you hand this to well in order to have a good guess as to whether this would just make them more scared or help them chase away the monsters in their mind. (And I definitely recommend it for older grades practicing their literary analysis skills.)

<i>I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

'The Windy Day' with story and art by Tony Sandoval is about a girl who just wants to fly her kite and the fears she has to overcome to do that.

A young girl sets out to fly her new kite, but a ship full of goblins is out to stop her. She finds a friend in something bigger and kind of scarier. She learns to be more fearless going forward.

I like Tony Sandoval's work. His illustration style is interesting and work well for a story like this, but some of the illustrations are a bit scary looking, so I'm not sure who the market is for this book. Some little kids aren't prone to nightmares, but I can see some kids being afraid. Which is interesting because the books message would seem to be about just such a thing.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Lion Forge, Diamond Book Distributors, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

I picked The Windy Day up from NetGalley simply because I loved the last book I read by Tony Sandoval – Watersnakes.

The art is the same style and it has similar horror undertone themes but I guess for TWD its more creepy than actual horror as this has a younger target audience.

TWD follows a girl who wants to fly her kite but is scared of the forest and what lies within, but it turns out she has bigger things to worry about when a pirate cloud full of goblins attack in hopes to steal her away for a feast.

Luckily, for younger readers, this story doesn’t remain scary for very long as she finds a protector who saves the day and makes her days full of joy. She’s braver with her new ally.

Overall the story is fine, the length is smol, and I’m not sure I could recommend it to every child given how scary some of it is? I’m a lil confused I guess by its actual target audience.

I liked it though, it just didn’t live up to what I expected after loving Watersnakes.

I guess mostly I loved his art work, the use of watercolours works wonderfully with his line work and I’m just a big fan of his aesthetic. I’d pin up this work rather than re-read it.

The Windy Day by Tony Sandoval is a picturebook currently scheduled for release on May 14 2019. A young girl sets out on her own to fly her kite and encounters a pirate cloud full of goblins looking to cause trouble. She is rescued by a big black wolf who scare the goblins away and stays to help her fly her kite as high as possible. Their friendship teaches her courage (which is what she names the wolf).

The Windy Day has lovely artwork, which was what originally caught my eye with this book. It has a sweet watercolor feel, while showing the things the young girl sees and fears in equal importance. I love the story of a girl with a big imagination finding a way to entertain herself when her brother will not play with her.That she built her own kite, faces her fears enough to brave chickens and the woods to go fly the kite alone shows that she already has courage and intelligence, she just needs a little support. I love that she uses the same imagination that scares her to save herself and bolster her courage.
The Windy Day is a book that is fun to read text wise- but also lovely to look at. I think there are some imaginative and creative souls that will greatly enjoy this read.

Unusual, strange plot. The imaginings of. little girl who has to pass through a field of loose chickens and monsters lurking in the nearby woods to fly her kite. While flying it, the kite is attacked by a cloud of goblins who slide down the string of the kite. Fortunately, a wolf-dog appears upon which the little girl rides. They become friends.

This is far too scary for young children. The goblins and monsters are very unique and I love the art personally; but would not feel comfortable buying this for a small child. Even at age 5 or 6 this might be a bit much. It also relies upon the child understanding that the entire story is a metaphor. None of the goblins, monsters or big black (save the day) dog actually exist. And so the child (and adult) needs to be able to understand that the use of the name of 'courage' is the moment in which the story goes from being fantastical to being a metaphor. This feels wayyy too complex for the average child. I can't imagine any of the children in my life being able to understand that they are meant to imagine a big black dog with them as opposed to actually having that dog by their side to instill courage in them.

I also feel that the beginning diminishes the courage our lead gal has on her own when she chooses to venture into the forest to get to the kite flying open space. It's as though she does that and it means nothing. I'd have preferred for the story to be a bit more focused on what our lead gal manages to do herself. Or perhaps it just needs to be more obvious that her 'courage' comes from within and is projected as a big black dog? Either way I think The Windy Day misses the boat by being too advanced for little children; and yet too simplistic for older ones. Tony Sandoval should take his creepy (and awesome!) artwork style and create a book for the middle grade age with illustrations. That would likely fit his style better and he'd be able to make it 'scary' without causing a number of small kids to not sleep.

Overall I'd pass on this one for anyone under 5 or 6 year of age; and I don't tend to buy picture books for older kids, and so I can't find a market for The Windy Day.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

As an adult I love beautifully illustrated children's books. As a mom and Children's Librarian, I'm looking for messages that will teach my little ones and stay with them. This book does both. Full of artistic watercolor illustrations, a whimsical style, and a powerful message about courage, reading this book is like holding a kite string and watching a paper creation soar.

I quite enjoyed this book! The illustrations are sweetly weird, and delightfully creepy at times, though some younger kids might find them scary (I was not that child- I loved creepy stuff). To me, the illustrations convey the monsters of the girl's imagination without being truly scary- there's just enough menace to give the idea. In the story, a little girl wants to fly her kite, but she must go through the shadowy woods to get to the clearing where she can fly it. On the way, her imagination kicks in- when she reaches the clearing, a dark "pirate" cloud appears, filled with goblins that want to steal her kite. They surround her, and she is frightened, but the a big animal, half wolf and half dog, emerges from the shadows and chases the goblins away. He asks if she'd like to play with him, and off they go; suddenly, the woods aren't so scary anymore- there aren't any monsters after all! The half dog, half wolf stays with her after that, making her fearless, and we find out his name- Courage. I really liked the girl's vivid imagination, and how it changed her perspective, conjuring up courage as a strong beast to chase her fears away.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free little book.*

I quite enjoyed reading this book although I am 20+ years too old to be the target group. However, it was quite fun and in parts a bit like a Tim Burton movie. I'd read it to my kids if I had any but not before bedtime.

Four stars!

A young girl asks her brother to come fly a kite with her on a lovely windy day. The brother declines and she sets off by herself. She is heading for a clearing in the woods and her fears mount as her imagination takes over and she envisions monstrous eyes peering out at her through the trees. A group of evil goblins descend upon her from their pirate cloud armed with hooks and harpoons and try to grab her kite by the wing and capture it. She becomes truly frightened as they surround her and close in. Oh my!

A huge black wolf-dog has been watching all this transpire and slowly emerges from the undergrowth.

"It was a big animal, half-dog and half-wolf. It was so big that I felt like I was standing under a black, hairy tree. The wicked goblins were terrified and ran away as fast as they could! "

The wolf-dog calls to the little girl and asks her if she would like to play with him. She is very relieved to be rescued and safe and quickly agrees. She climbs up on his back and they run like the wind making her kite soar very very high and very very far!

He safely deposits her at her home and they become fast friends. He makes her fears disappear with his powerful presence and steadfast friendship. She nicknames him " Courage" a fitting name for her protector and bestie.

This adventure story is a bit disjointed as the pacing is off with some of the text and the illustrations not in sync. I felt that some of the pictures are too dark and scary for that age group and if the book is read, not to be read as a bedtime story. Although, I must say, as an adult, I like them a lot. They are similar toTim Burton's creations which I love. All-in-all the message is positive as it's always a great thing to overcome fears and face the world head-on with bravery and courage. I like the story but question the age group that it targets.... perhaps it will be more fitting for an older age group. ( say 8-10 ? )

Oh, what a beautiful day it is when a child's imagination began to soar above with the clouds, it is truly a magical thing. The windy day with is quirky illustrations helps drive your child’s imagination in a fun and exciting way, letting them soar to their delight no boundaries no rules just fun.

The Windy Day by Tony Sandoval is a story about a girl who is afraid to fly her kite because of the monsters in the forest that might come to get her. When a pirate ship (?) comes through the clouds full of goblins who want to take her kite (and then her) a great big wolf comes out of the forest and rescues her. Once she becomes friends with the wolf, she is no longer scared and has the "courage" to attempt the things she once was afraid of.

Oh boy...where to start. So, like other reviewers, I struggle on how to rate this as children's fiction because while the story is supposed to teach a message about finding the strength or courage within yourself to face your fears, the book is full of wonderful artwork that is way too scary for a young child. The goblins and monsters even look creepy to me! I think this would have been more well suited to older children, but then story would need more complexity to it.

I hope the author continues as his talent is quite clear, but I don't think this is the right fit for the intended audience.

I received a electronic copy of this book through Netgalley and Diamond Book Distributors. I appreciate the opporutity to read and provide honest feedback.

This is a unique little book closer to the fairy tales of Hansel and Gretel than most children's stories today. The art is unique, gothic and eerie. The tale is one of a little girl with an overwhelming imagination who braves the monsters of the forest and the goblin pirates of the sky in order to fly her kite. I was impressed by the darker tone, both in text and illustration, as well as the attempt to relay fear, anxiety, strength and courage: courage that remains coiled within us to seek out and find in these circumstances. I have yet to pinpoint the best demographic for the story, but am certain it is too creepy for young children and pushes closer to Mid-Elementary readers. Interesting and unique.

The story of a little girl filled with anxiety about walking through the woods to go fly her kite. She is very scared of the monsters that live in the forest and when she enters they all come out to attack her. A wolf appears and scares them off and the two become friends. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. The illustrations were excessively scary and the writing style was too advanced for a children's book. I understand that the author's intent was that the wolf represents her courage and when she has courage she doesn't need to be afraid of things that aren't there but I don't think that a child would be able to grasp these advanced concepts and would just find the book terrifying.