This is a cute little book about telling the truth and how when we find things, it's not always "finders keepers; losers weepers." We have to return things to their rightful owner, even if we don't want to.

I thought this was a cute book with a good message. It was a simple message, lying is wrong. My kid liekd the illustrations and enjoyed the story.

This is the story about a boy who finds a toy horse. He keeps it and lies to his family about where it came from.
He names the horse Wind. At first everything is good. He loves playing with Wind and telling his parents all about their adventures. Then he sees missing horse pictures, and begins to feel guilt and remorse.

Jesse takes a little toy horse from neighbour children, pulling it between the slats of the fence that divides their yards. He names it “Wind” and plays all sorts of imaginative games with it. The toy horse is with him day and night. He tells his mother his grandmother gave it to him, but his conscience bothers him more and more as he realizes the kids next store are missing their toy. Ultimately, he rights the wrong. This little story delivers a resonant message to children: it’s hard to take pleasure in something that isn’t yours and whose absence causes others sadness.

The Truth About Wind by Hazel Hutchins and Gail Herbert is an interesting way to teach a good lesson to children. When Jesse finds a toy horse that was left behind by another child, he felt like he won the lottery because he now owned the fastest horse in the world and was able to have the most exciting adventures with it. But the longer he played with Wind, the more uncomfortable he grew because not only was he lying to his family about how he received Wind, the fastest horse in the world, but it was also getting harder and harder to enjoy their time together. When faced with the all important question of returning Wind to its rightful owner, will he be strong enough to let go of the horse he grew to love so much? I really enjoyed the accompanying illustrations by Dusan Petricic because he had an interesting way of showing Jesse's discomfort as it grew and grew, and how it can feel when you make that all-important final decision.

This book was beautiful! I loved the art and the whole story so much! The art was so nice and simple and didn’t try to do too much. In this story Jesse finds a toy horse and decides to keep it. He names the horse Wind and it is the best horse in the world. But what if Wind’s real owners miss him? I really loved watching Jesse learn and deal with his guilt and lies. I also loved how the art encompasses his feelings as well. This one is definitely one I will be buying for the little ones in my family.

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

This story was great. I loved that it teaches kids a lesson about not taking things that don't belong to them. The text flowed well and didn't bog the reader down. The pictures were cute. I recommend it.

A very visual and emotional story about a boy who takes a toy that doesn’t belong to him.

Thoughts:
I love how The Truth About Wind tackles theft and lying. Jesse finds a toy he knows doesn’t belong to him. Instead of trying to find its owner or telling his parents, he lies about how he got it when asked. Clearly he is now free to call it his own…isn’t he? He plays and plays with his new horse named Wind. Jesse’s imagination goes wild with adventure after adventure. But then reality comes back to him when he has to lie again about where he got Wind from. By now Jesse has come to love playing with Wind, but what Jesse doesn’t know is how guilt slowly eats away at you. Slowly robbing you of the fun you had when you first take something, reminding you that what you took isn’t yours.

The progression of Jesse’s unease and guilt is excellently well done in this picture book. Guilt and regret don’t always happen immediately. Instead, time gives your mind a chance to catch up and ponder over what you have done and all its impacts, leaving Jesse with no choice other than to correct his mistake. Although, Jesse did something wrong and tried to make it right, I am mixed on the conclusion. One side of me loves how the conclusion has a sense of poetry and symmetry as the story comes full circle. The other side of me wants him to have a conversation with an adult, but perhaps that conversation does happen outside of the story.

The illustrations are particularly are also very well done and I am impressed by how much thought has been put into their creation. They do not fill the entire page with vibrant colors of scenery. Instead, the soft pastel illustrations force you to focus just on the issue at hand – Jesse’s increasing guilty feelings. After all, if you have too much to look at then there’s a chance you will lose the important point trying to be made within the story and pictures, not to mention that guilt is a lonely creature.

Rating: 5 star

Thanks to Netgalley and Annick Press Ltd. for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

What I Loved AND How I Felt (because they are super mixed together today:

The child in this story sneaks his arm through the fence and takes a toy. He kind of knows it was someone else’s, but it was also just on the ground. The evolution of this story was amazing. He’s elated about his new toy, Wind. They talk and play and love every second. However, as time goes on, Wind becomes less and less playful, showing just EXACTLY how guilt starts to eat away at you.

The way the story unfolded was perfect for a child to hear and be given a visual of the results of doing something you know was wrong and not saying anything to anyone. It starts to chip at your happiness until you know you must do the right thing. Bravo for this book!

To Read or Not To Read:

The Truth about Wind is perfect for a pre-k to middle elementary child. It is easy for a young reader to understand and has illustrations to keep them interested. It’s perfect for daycares, schools, libraries, and home!

What’s This Book About Anyway?
Jesse sees a pull toy horse on the other side of his fence. He decides to reach out and pull it through….and now it is his! Only, is it really? Does taking something make it yours? He plays and plays with his new toy, Wind and the have the best time together. Except that as time goes on, Wind becomes less and less playful. He begins to talk to Jesse less and less. Jesse begins to see “LOST” signs around, but he pretends they are there, that Wind is really his. He finally realizes that he must return Wind to the correct owner, and his guilt is lifted.

I was provided an advanced readers copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.