Thank you Penguin Random House Canada, Tundra Books, and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this book. This is a wonderful “autobiography” of wind and everything it’s capable of. Beautiful illustrations combined with the informational, historical, and mythological perspectives provide a well-rounded portrait of the wind as well as entertain the reader. I would recommend this book to the middle grade readers

I received an electronic ARC from Penguin Random House Canada through NetGalley.
Beautifully illustrated "autobiography" of wind. Poliquin personifies wind and shares information through poetry, informative text, folklore, myths, etc. Readers learn how wind shapes our planet and how it circulates the globe. By adopting this style, the author gives readers so much to learn and think about while keeping them entertained too.

A beautiful, poignant children’s book. Packed with meaning and illustrated impeccably. Already pre-ordered copies for our school library. 5/5 stars!

Wow. I wasn't too sure on what I was expecting but this surpassed all of my expectations.
This was a beautiful book. It has everything: multiple cultures represented, poetry, educational information written in a very digestible simple way, history, folklore and more. I'm an adult and I feel like I learned so much from this.
This is a perfect children's book! The illustrations are so beautiful and colorful, the art style works so well with this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC.

This is a book of poetry. It called itself an autobiography, and I do think it fits. You have the poetry, but then you also have information about sometimes true events or names of the wind or things that happen because of the wind. This was very well done and the illustrations are really eye-catching.

I am Wind: An Autobiography
written by Rachel Poliquin and Illustrated by Rachel Wada
This book is BEAUTIFUL. Poetry, science, culture, folklore, history artwork. This book is a perfect example of how to use a multitude of genres to teach a concept.  A quintessential hybrid text. 
First of all, Wind is personified. It is the main character of the text. Wind tells us their story through poetry:" I Am Wind/I whistle. I howl/I'll steal your hat, your house, your kitten, your kite/ I whisper whisper whisper secrets in the leaves…I am the Great Rushing in All Directions" (Poliquin). Wind is portrayed as a beautiful, gentle friend and destructive enemy. 
Wind also tells us their story through history with little "Wind Chronicles," which describe types of winds in various cultures and record historical events of destruction and peril caused by tornados and storms.
Wind also charmingly tells of its characteristics directly (as if in an extended character sketch): how it is created, the types of wind forces, how man has harnessed Wind for its own uses (sailing, wind farms), how it is perceived in mythology, and its multitude of names in various cultures.
Throughout all of this wonderful poetry, prose, and information are the most beautiful paintings in the most vibrant colours. The artwork alone could create a multitude of lessons.
I will be recommending this book to teachers!!!
For educators and families with young children, I am Wind: An Autobiography is a delightful addition to your library. It's not just informative; it's engaging and absolutely beautiful. This book will captivate your little ones, making learning a fun and interactive experience.
....oh and the book creators live in British Columbia so we've got some Canadian content AND indigenous content. Always a bonus.
I will be recommending this book to every teacher I know!
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the free copy.

A big thumb's up for this extra-ordinary, educational children's book! It is so fascinating and it feels like the author is so in-tune with young readers, knowing just the correct tweak to grab and hold their attention. The personification of the wind, interspersed with easy-to-read and understand, more formal blurbs, coupled with fantastic illustrations makes this work a definite masterpiece!

I had no idea how many breezes and blasts of winds, and winds of varying names there are. It is so interesting to learn of the different people groups from earlier times and their names for wind; their stories, legends and beliefs about wind and so on. The book tells of the different measures of intensity of wind; of harnessing the wind for windmills and other work; of playing with wind, such as making it fly kites and much more.

The most interesting part for me was learning about the "Singing Sands," when wind and sand play together and sing, for good or not so good results. The list of key terms related to wind at book's end will help round out the scholastic input. In my opinion, there's not a single dull page in the book!

A certain 5-STAR rating from me!

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

May 2024

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary review copy sent by NetGalley and the publisher.

What a beautiful, informative book. I absolutely loved the folklore stories from many different countries. So much information was given with regards to the phenomenon of Wind. The poetry portions were moving and sparked a wonderful visual for the reader as well.
This book would be amazing for homeschoolers, Science classrooms to give a much more in depth look into wind or to just add to your home library and read on a windy day.

From Greek myths to kite festivals to wind scales, this book has bits of everything and anything about wind. I think my favorite parts are the bits of poetic writing that are found within.

"I Am Wind" by Rachel Poliquin and illustrated by Rachel Wada is a captivating non-fiction book due to how it is written in a story format and not just a list of facts. With Wind speaking in first person, it made me feel as though I was getting to know someone, whom I already knew, but even better. The book had so many facts interwoven into the stories as well. I learned many things I never knew about the wind and how important it is for our life to be sustainable on this earth. Knowing the power of this invisible force, you will learn that it is not only important for our life on earth, but can also cause destruction which this book dives into. Another aspect of this book that I enjoy is the history of wind. Throughout history there has been gods and goddesses of wind and this book doesn't shy away from talking about them and the history behind them. Wind does have a past and it's interesting to learn about it in a historical kind of way. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it. As wind tells us "I can be gentle, but always remember my heart is wild."~ Rachel Poliquin

This book is full of information teaching the reader everything there is to know about wind, but in a beautiful way. It’s teeming with vocabulary and images that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Open this book and you will be swept away. . .

I Am Wind: An Autobiography written by Rachel Poliquin, and illustrated by Rachel Wada is a fresh new way to think about something you rarely think about in your regular, daily life: the wind, the breeze that tousles your hair, that brings the fragrance of your lilacs up your nostrils, and plants the dandelions in your lawn. Even more endearing is that Wind has been personified, and so this entire book is their message to you, Human, to remind you that we are part of each other.

I read this today with my visiting grandson - who is 11. I told him this was a review of a book that is going to be coming out soon, and that we have an opportunity to let the world know what we think about it. We read it over two sessions, he'd read a page, and then me. We'd discuss the concepts and subjects - science, mythology, latitude and longitude, the Fujita and Beaufort scales, sand and dust. We both learned new things. So many flavors of wind: katabatic, foehn, Maori, Santa Ana, how twisters begin and the power of tornados are explained in detail. Grandson enjoyed the "Chronicles" where Wind holds forth in a lyrical way on aspects of air movement and its interaction with humanity that felt like a letter to us.

An absolute delight - fresh and new way to think of this ancient partner of ours. We especially enjoyed reading this to each other one page at a time.

*A sincere thank you to Rachel Poliquin, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.*