‘A Wild Windy Night’ with story and art by Yui Abe's A Wild Windy Night is a picture book about a stormy night.

Young Ricky likes a good storm. One night, while he is in bed, he gets caught up in a storm along with all his toys. Rather than being scared, he is caught up in the wonder of it all. When he wakes up safely in his own room, everything is back to normal.

This is a comforting bedtime book that should offer reassurance to young children afraid of storms. It shows the comfort of being home and Ricky’s response of curiosity rather than fear. The illustrations underscore the rise and fall of the chaotic storm.

A Wild Windy Night is a beautifully imaginative book about a little boy and what he does when the wind is blowing wild outside his bedroom. Ricky feels like he is on an adventure and all his toys are with him. They fly into the night ending up in a forest where they play hide and seek with the wind. This is a fun story that my grandson really liked. The beautiful illustrations were detailed and he spent time with them, trying to point out all the toys. You can also feel the movement in them with the sounds in the text adding to that feeling. Emotions of fear, then excitement are evident in Ricky's face. This was a great book to talk about fear of the windy days and impending storms. Of course, Ricky is safe in his room and his mom comes in to hug him and assure him he is safe. A winner for us.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The imaginative story of a little boy who played with the wind. The wind blows and he found his chance to play with the mighty wind and his friends. A fun read, took me back to my childhood where my imagination ran wild and unstoppable, and yet it was the best time of my life where I can be anywhere and play with anything.

Starting with a conversation between a child and mother, this is a wild adventure as the protagonist is blown about through imaginative landscapes. While he travels far, he returns to the safety of home and there is never any true sense of danger. Instead, with a plot reminiscent of In the Night Kitchen and illustrations not unlike the work of Tommie DePaola, this is a gentle adventure that will be soothing to the young and encourage creativity in older kids.

This is a book about the imagination of a child. We all as a child had our own world of imagination. So does Ricky. It was a dark night and winds were on their hardcore pace. Ricky's mother set him for the bed but he wanted to play with his imaginative Mr. Wind. In his own world, he played with Mr. Wind with all of his toys but by the time his mother get back wind lost its strength. She then made him for the bed to sleep and told him that window was open and wind was nowhere.

It is a good effort to explain the child's psychology about how one create their own world around themselves for a comfort and got intrigued for more. But parents have this responsibility to make them learn real world and also prepare their offspring for the same.

Illustrations were average but quite expressive but considering author from Japan I can get the ilk he preferred for illustrating this picture-book.

I love this book. From the first page to the last the story is solid. Running through my head the entire time was “In the Night Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak. (you know, the Where the Wild Things Are author). I think anybody could see the compliment in the artwork, but even the story harkens back to the kitchen. I love it and it’s the best compliment I can give.

This was a sweet, imaginative story. The illustrations were well done and added to the book. As a teacher, this would be a great springboard book for introducing various skills including writing numbers in word form.

It's bedtime and Ricky can't settle down to sleep because he hears the wind outside, "Whoosh-Whoosh-Ka-whoosh!" Ricky is sure that the wind is lonely. He says, "Mr. Wind is crying out...please come play with me." When he gets out of bed to peek outside he sees his toy car go flying across the yard. His dog, who has been lying in the doghouse with his head on his paws, looks up to see what is happening. A lovely spread shows several small panels: the first has the text "Then," the next reads, "all the toys," the third "jumped," and then a large panel proclaims "into the wind!" Breaking the text of the sentence up among the panels builds the sense of tension as a toy boat, a robot, a monkey with cymbals, and some tin soldiers all go flying out the window. Ricky calls out, "Wait" just before he is also swept into the night.

Perspective in the illustrations shifts from looking out at the night sky from the cozy bedroom to looking down into the yard as Ricky and all the toys rise up toward the sky. The dog watches them from around the corner of the doghouse. Then the viewpoint shifts again and readers see everything flying up toward a shining full moon as the wind goes, "Swish Swoosh Wish-Whoosh." Once everything flies across town and lands in the woods Ricky suggests they play hide-and-seek. He counts as all the toys hide. The robot crouches behind a bush and holds leaves over his head for camouflage. The tin soldiers help each other up into the branches of a nearby tree. Young readers will try to find the hiding spot of each one when Ricky declares, "Ten! Now come find us!"

The story returns to the house as Ricky huddles under his blanket and thinks that the wind laughs at him, "Swish-hee-hee." Mom comes in to check on him and he is on the floor under the blanket with his toys spread all around him. She helps him look for where the wind might be hiding to take its turn in the game. Behind the books on the shelf? Under the bed? When they open the curtain to look for it outside, they notice that the wind has calmed down. Mom suggests, "I'm sure he got tired and went home to rest...Now it's our turn to sleep." Was it all a game of make-believe? Then how did that leaf get caught in Ricky's hair?

This is truly one of those picture books where the text and illustrations work perfectly together. It begins and ends within the warm, quietly lighted bedroom with mom, but the pages in between capture the motion of everything caught up in the wind on a dark, wild night. The use of onomatopoeia to give the wind a voice and even laughter is also a nice touch.

This book is a fun bedtime story for little ones who want one last game before bed and can sympathize with Ricky's desire to play. But it can also be used to help a youngster deal with anxiety about a blustery bit of weather.

Hmmm, this didn't quite seem to work for me. It involves a kid being put to bed for the night, even though there is a bad wind outside that's rattling the house no end. Then – either in real life or in his imagination, you decide – the wind comes in, lifts his toy car from the floor and proceeds to take all the toys the lad's left out, out into the wide beyond. And then the kid goes too… We've seen many stories of this ilk before, where something dramatic happens and we're not allowed proof if it's real or not, but other hindrances are here. I felt the art was not up to conveying what it wanted to, with some unusual uses of angle and scale that just made it more awkward to understand, and similarly the text is so much based on the kid's speech and the onomatopoeia of the wind that it's far too late on before you see evidence it's a first-person narrative. It's a three-starrer, where, if it found you I'd not tell you to ignore it but I'd not urge anyone to be the one seeking it out.

🌩️📚 "Stormy Adventures" is a gorgeously illustrated tale perfect for calming children's fears of stormy weather. 🌧️ It's best enjoyed as a playful game between adults and kids, ensuring the distinction between imagination and reality. 🌳👀 Let's keep the fun safe; no hiding in the forest during windstorms! I love the chance it gives to discuss weather, fears, and even practice toy naming and counting. 🧸💬

4★
“ WHOOSH WHOOSH. It’s so windy tonight, Ricky’

‘Mom. Mr. Wind is crying out… please, come play with me.’

Oooo be careful what you wish for, Ricky.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘That’s right. But it’s time for you to go to bed.’”

Ricky is tucked up neatly in bed, but then he sits up and looks out the window. He can see his little red car being blown up into the air right past the doghouse. The dog looks at it but seems calm.

“ WHOOSH-WHOOSH-KA-WHOOSH”

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“Then all the toys jumped into the wind!”

But it’s not just the toys. Ricky calls out “ ‘Wait!’ ” and before you know it, he’s out the window and flying through the wild winds with all of his toys and even his bed and big striped quilt!

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘Let’s race to the forest over there! Ready, set, got!’”

They find a big tree and snuggle down in little hiding places and count to ten.

[My Goodreads review has an illustration. here.]

Now they’re brave, and Ricky dares the wind.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘Ten! Now come find us!’ “

Guess what? Ricky can hear the rustling of the wind and tell his toys not to come out yet. Too late!

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“WHOOSH!”

Everything flies through the air, and I mean everything… except it seems Ricky has been left behind, all alone.

“ ‘Everyone. Everyone flew away. I’m still hiding, all alone. Mr. Wind come find me quick!’ ”

The wind whooshes and swooshes and laughs at Ricky.

My Goodreads review has an illustration with the caption:
“ ‘I found you!’

‘Ricky!’

‘Mom!’ ”

Ricky is on the floor, wrapped in his quilt, surround by a mess of his toys. He explains how they were playing hide-and-seek in the forest and then Mr. Wind found them and blew them back.

Mom helps him look around his room for Mr. Wind, then opens the curtains on a calm, starry night, where the dog is sleeping happily in the doghouse. Mom says Mr. Wind must be tired, but he will return to play another day.

This is a beautifully illustrated story to show children who might be frightened of stormy weather, but I think an adult should read it with them to make a game out of it. They need to ensure that hiding in the forest is obviously the child’s imagination, not an actual event. I wouldn’t want any children to get the wrong idea about playing outside in a windstorm!

There are plenty of opportunities to talk about the weather and fear and for the children to name and count the toys.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Museyon for a review copy of #AWildWindyNight.

A beautifully illustrated and lovely story. Abe has taken something that could be scary and made it into a tale for children to enjoy. The colorful pictures will keep everyone entertained as they read the story.

A sweet and well written story that made me smile and will surely be loved by children. The illustrations are lovely
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Wild Windy Night is a cute story about a little boy and the wind. This would be a good bedtime story for kids who like to stay up late. It's a good adventure for young children. It reminds me of Animal Kisses and Flora's Very Windy Day. It will become a bedtime favorite.

It is nighttime and the wind is blowing strong. Ricky’s mom tells him it is time for bed, but he is sure that Mr. Wind wants to play. While in bed Ricky hears the wind howling stronger and stronger, to the point that his toy car parked in the garden flies into the air. Other toys in Ricky’s room join the wind as they exit the bedroom through the window. Trying to catch them, Ricky follows and soon they are all traveling to the forest, where they play a game of hide-and-seek with Mr. Wind. When the wind speaks to Ricky and tells him that he has been found, it turns out to be his mom surprising him. She tells him the wind is resting now and he should be too. In this story, the harsh sounds of the wind could easily scare any child who is trying to fall asleep, yet Abe has created something that is imaginative and playful. The intricate and detailed illustrations make for easy and comforting nighttime reading, and make the darkness of night and the presence of wind beautiful and approachable. The only consideration is the use of the title “Mr.” for the name given to the wind. At times this can sound stern, making it challenging to view the wind as a friendly character. Yet, the wind is a natural force that can be powerful, loud, and commanding, so it does not hinder the message and value of the story, and the reader may interpret and approach the concept as they find best fitting. Overall, this is a sweet, bedtime read that can add fun and calm to a wild and windy night.

The wild howling wind is inviting Ricky and his toys to play outside in the dark and have some fun instead of some fear about the night time. Ricky takes us on the adventure with him and my grandchildren loved the idea of being able to play outside in the dark with the windy trees in the far off woods. My grandson loved all the Whoosh noises he could imitate.

The illustrations were lovely and very intricate and you could see the wind blowing Ricky's hair and the trees and the creatures he meets along the way.

A lovely book to explain to young children that even with the wind crashing through the trees outside, you are safe and warm in your bed with your family.

Thank you so much to Museyon and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

The wind is howling outside begging Ricky to come play, as all his toys swoosh outside, he goes with them and plays a game of hide and seek with the wind.

This is absolutely adorable, the illustrations were gorgeous and I was constantly looking at them in so much detail, seeing the toys flying in the air, or seeing them in the bushes it’s was so wonderful looking at all these handrawn illustrations.

The story is so sweet and previous, parts were also interactive, where your little ones could swoosh with the wind themselves and count with the characters. It’s a perfect book for young children there’s so much for them to enjoy from it. I really enjoyed this sweet book of a little boy befriending the wind and just wanting to play with him.

A simple story about a boy who decides to pretend to go on a wild ride with the wind. Little kids would definitely like to see the places they go and how the story ends. I'm sure they can relate.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I received a free copy of, A Wild Windy Night, by Yui Abe, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a cute story about Mr. Wind and Ricky. I loved the illustrations and the story.

A Wild Windy Night is a beautifully illustrated story. It is a simple story of a young boy who goes on an adventure in his dreams with the wind. It is a delightful story that was very much enjoyed by myself and my son.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.