A child's blanket sails off on a wind-driven odyssey, then circles back to perform its proper function. Think "cozy." Also "agenda." Just as young Jake and his mother settle down for a nap in the yard, a gust of wind snatches his treasured blue blanket off the clothesline and sends it flying past families of birds, bunnies and other animals. Despite wooden writing ("The calf watched it fly into the farmer's garden. Moo! Moo! Moo!"), the journey has a ritual, dreamlike quality that both evokes Jake's drowsy state and is reflected in Pidgen's fanciful cartoon scenes. Unlike the animals and the idyllic outdoor settings, the blanket has a nebulous, undefined quality, seeming less a material object than a symbolic representation of one. And, indeed, after an anxiety-inducing suggestion that the blanket might fly away forever, the author instead sends it back to settle over sleeping Jake and his mother and then closes with a note about the importance of comfort objects to children. An intimate episode--written by a professor of psychiatry, published by an imprint of the American Psychological Association and clearly, if indirectly, addressed as much to parents as to children. (Picture book. 4-6)
In a sensitive lullaby, a small boy and his mother hang the laundry to dry on the clothesline, as she sings, “time to fly, touch the sky, fly up, high up, wave goodbye.” Jake doesn’t want to let go of his comforting blue blanket, but his mother assures him that it will soon be dry. As they sit together in the sun, Jake falls asleep, and a gust of wind sends the blanket sailing. “First it brushed against the apple tree, where a mother bird was feeding her babies,” and it soon warms a shivering calf, tickles turnip-munching bunnies, and is used by a puppy and its mother for tug-of-war. After a final gust, the mother bird tugs the blanket down to earth, “right to where it belonged,” encircling Jake and his mother in a cozy embrace. Pidgen’s cheerful artwork is reassuring, with a bright palette, loose, sweeping lines, and plenty of attention on mother-child tenderness, human and animal alike. The message about attachment, security, and sometimes letting go is conveyed subtly and organically. Ages 4–8. (Nov.)
Jake's favorite security blanket takes a ride courtesy of the wind. It touches an apple tree and causes precious pink "hats" to fall upon the baby birds. It warms a baby calf on its travels. It causes the farmer's bunnies to hop higher and higher, hoping to catch it. In the end, it returns to Jake just in time for his nap. Any child who has a favorite "blankie" would be able to identify with the protagonist in this story. It would certainly be appropriate for story time, but especially for one-on-one bedtime reading. The repetition in the text would be a welcomed feature. One wishes the illustrations were more detailed and less workmanlike. Perhaps the artist was attempting to match the text in its simplicity. However, the cadence of the text makes up for any detraction from the illustrations. It reads like sheer poetry and one gets swept away with the rhythm and the repetition. This is sure to become a favorite, welcoming story accompanied by many requests for "Read this again, please." Reviewer: Sandra Kitain
Children's Literature - Sandra Kitain
PreS-K—One sunny day, Jake and his mother decide to hang the laundry outside to dry. Despite an initial reluctance, Jake helps Momma hang up his favorite blanket. As they snooze in the sun, the wind pulls it off the line and past a family of birds. The breeze takes it to a cow and her calf, later past some bunnies, and lastly makes a stop with a dog and her puppy. The blanket ends its trip by being blown back home to Jake and Momma. The book concludes with a note to parents about the importance of transitional objects, such as Jake's security blanket. The realistic, flat illustrations are done in soft, gentle colors. The result is a reassuring, simple story.—Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ
