Mirandy and Brother Wind

by Patricia C. McKissack, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

“Each page sparkles with life.”— The New York Times Book Review
 
In this Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winning tale, Mirandy is determined to capture the best partner for the junior cakewalk jubilee. And who is the best partner? The wind, of course!
 
Grandmama Beasley says, “Can’t nobody put shackles on Brother Wind, chile. He be special. He be free.” With neighbors up and down Ridgetop suggesting all manner of strategies, and friend Ezel laughing at each foiled one, Mirandy grows ever more determined: she’ll get hold of that Brother Wind yet!
            Patricia C. McKissack’s thoroughly engaging tale dances with spirit and rollicking good humor. Complemented by Jerry Pinkney’s rich, eye-catching watercolors of the rural South, here’s one of those rare, rewarding picture books that is sure to be read and enjoyed again and again.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Historical Fiction, African American, Fiction, Cultural, Multicultural Literature

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Patricia C. McKissack was the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Award-winning author of The Dark-Thirty and Porch Lies an ALA Notable Book. She collaborated with Jerry Pinkney on Goin' Someplace Special (Coretta Scott King Award winner) and Mirandy and Brother Wind (Coretta Scott King Award winner and Caldecott Honor Book).

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mirandy is a spritely tale of a girl with big dreams of winning the cake walk dance. In my growing up, a cake walk was walking in a circle and whoever stopped on the special spot got the cake. In the African American tradition, it was a dance. You strutted around in a dance. That sounds like more fun to me. You got points for being creative and having flair with your steps.

Mirandy wants to dance with brother Wind. She heard if you can catch the wind, you can have it do your bidding and Mirandy knew she was a good dancer, she just needed an excellent partner and who better than the wind. She tries all kinds of things to catch the wind. Her friend Ezel just laughs at her. He wants to dance with her. Well, the ending is worth reading the story for. It’s a fun conclusion.

The colors are bright and there is humor in this book. It’s a neat story, certainly.

The nephew liked the way the wind looked. He wanted to know if the wind was really a person. I told him he was personified for the story, but as far as I know, the wind is not a person. He thought the story was interesting and he gave this 3 stars. The niece also enjoyed the anticipation of the dance in this. She liked Mirandy's yellow dress at the end, but not the see-through scarves tied to her wrist. The dancing was fun. She gave this 4 stars.

[Manybooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I truly simply do massively adore the artwork for Mirandy and Brother Wind (and therefore also totally celebrate the 1989 Caldecott Honour designation for illustrator Jerry Pinkney). For yes, his pictures are an utter aesthetic delight, colourful, expressive, and yes indeed, they also absolutely shine and sparkle with regard to aesthetically presenting a marvellous sense of time and place (in my opinion more than likely 1930s or 1940s Southern States). And while I still sometimes tend to find the level of visual detail in Mirandy and Brother Wind perhaps a trifle too busy, I also have to admit that Pinkney’s level of illustrative detail actually seems to often be rather necessary in order for the intended audience, in order for the picture book crowd of younger children to adequately understand Patricia C. McKissack’s text. Because in my humble opinion, while in Mirandy and Brother Wind, McKissack does textually present a lot of interesting detail, the amount of featured narrative is actually (and in my opinion) sometimes both a bit overwhelming for a picture book and also with its use of vernacular also a bit difficult to understand, so that without Jerry Pinkney’s simply glorious illustrations, some younger readers (or listeners) might well become distracted and/or narrationally lost.

And while on the whole I have certainly enjoyed Mirandy and Brother Wind and also much appreciate Patricia C. McKissack’s verbal message of not being able to catch the wind as well as being faithful to one’s true friends (like Mirandy finally proves to be with Ezel and how they then also end up winning the coveted cakewalk), without Jerry Pinkney’s artwork, McKissack’s narrative (to and for me) really would have been both rather a reading slog and also sometimes a bit unclear in its concept and manner of expression (and which is also why my three stars for Mirandy and Brother Wind is indeed mostly for the illustrations, as the narrative really does leave a bit to be personally desired with Patricia C. McKissack’s tendency towards overwordiness and narrational distraction).

[M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic, can not recommend enough. A plus plus PLUS.

In all seriousness, the artwork is fantastic and so is the story.



Have a strawberry-tastic thumbs up!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirandy wants to capture brother wind so he will be her dance partner for the cake walk. She tries several tricks to catch him...it's not so easy. But finally she has caught the wind. Then when another girl says unkind things about her friend Ezel, she makes a wish on the wind and asks Ezel to dance. She is a true friend. Cute story and I liked learning a bit about the history of the cake walk. I like the illustrations but the portrayal of the wind as almost human is a bit odd to me. (Don't misunderstand...I recognize that many cultures viewed nature as being human like and this is definitely a multicultural book so I think it is appropriate for the story just strikes my "modern" sensibilities as odd in a story that otherwise seems so realistic. Hope that makes sense.)

[Luann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though I'm not a big fan of the wind (I live in a very windy place), I like how Jerry Pinkney has illustrated the wind here! The wind is treated as very nearly a real person in the text, and I like that he is illustrated as very nearly a real person as well. This is a fun one! I knew how it was going to end, but I still enjoyed reading it. I also really liked the author's note at the beginning so that we know Patricia McKissack's grandparents were cakewalk winners, and we are given a little bit of background on how the cakewalk worked - which is somewhat different than the cake walks I know about.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My niece and I read Mirandy and Brother Wind a couple of years ago, I guess. I enjoyed the book, thought it was fun and unique, but if I remember correctly, my niece found it to be a little confusing. As I've mentioned before, she's a very literal child, and the idea of dancing wind was just not something she could wrap her mind around.

The illustrations were lovely.

[Tippy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very touching story and so sweet!

I read this book as part of the Coretta Scott King Book Awards 50th anniversary challenge promoted through the LA Public Libraries.

[Kaitlin Ronan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author does a wonderful job of incorporating her own family story into a fictional book. The history in this novel is essential to understanding the story. The incorporation of the cake walk and of Brother Wind allow the reader to be taken into another culture that they may never have experienced before. Also, the culture is not made fun of in any way, which is part of the magic of the book. A lot of books about different cultures than the majority end up demoralizing or making fun of the culture.

The illustrations are beautiful. My eye is immediately drawn to the pictures, and they can tell the story without the words. The book without the pictures would not be a great book. The illustrations enhance the book so well, and express the text perfectly. The historical and culture references of the pictures also enrich the story and allow for a better understanding of the tale.

This would be great for a classroom read aloud. It allows students to think about other cultures and traditions, and tackles the idea of friendship beautifully. Brother Wind shows kindness and friendship by owning up to the words he said. He fulfilled the role he said he would, and did not lie. When the other girls are mean to Ezel, Mirandy speaks up and realizes what a true friend looks like. Ezel had been teasing her all day about Brother Wind, mainly because he wanted to dance with her. Mirandy never finds this out, which I think is a great story line detail, because it gives students and readers a chance to know part of the story that the main character doesn't. It is like a treasure that I and my students can hold on to and remember about the story. I gave this book five stars because I think it would be a wonderful book to use in a classroom, and the illustrations are beautiful.

[Johnnie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great, I love it. It has a nice story to it. It teaches the reader a lesson within the text. The ending also is nice because it gives you the chance to infer because it does not tell you what actually happens. I recommend this book to any age.

[Stefanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is cute but it was so poorly told; twice I thought I'd missed a page because it just jumped to the next idea.

[Cassandra Lemieux · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A young girl named Mirandy, wants to catch the wind in order for her to win the cake walk. She goes around the whole town looking for a way to capture the wind. Her grandmother told her if she catches the wind, the wind will owe her a favor. All Mirandy wants is for her and Brother wind to win. She spends the whole day trying to catch him, ignoring her friend Ezel who wants to be her dance partner. Mirandy catches the wind, but what she does with it is not what you expect.

Grade Level: 3-5

Classroom use: This booked could be used when talking about good morals

Individual students who benefit from reading: Any student who likes books set in the past or african-american culture would enjoy this book.

Small group use: It could be used for small group, but better used for whole class or individual reading.

Whole class: I believe this book would be good to read aloud in class. The writing of the book is that of older generations of African-americans, which is good for students to hear. It has a good moral and provides different ways of linguistics.

related books: Goin' Someplace Special, Flossie and The Fox.

Multimedia connections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7kCV...

[Darcy Tedford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a little African American girl who wants to win the town cakewalk by dancing with the wind. She spends all day trying to catch the wind to make him her partner. In the meanwhile her goofy friend Ezel can’t find anyone to dance with him because he is so clumsy, and he teases her about trying to catch Brother Wind, but she is determined. She finally outwits him by trapping him in the barn, after many failed attempts, so now he must grant her a wish. When other girls are joking about Ezel’s clumsiness at the dance, she decides to wish that Brother Wind would help Ezel to dance like him for the cakewalk, and partners up with Ezel. The theme of this book is that being determined and being kind pays off. There is a lot of different language in this book that is unique to the heritage of the girl. It could be a good way to talk to students about the different cultures that we have in America. I might have them make a family tree and write a report on their heritage and cultural traditions that they have.

[Mariah Mathews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mirandy and Brother Wind is a story about an African American girl that wanted to win a cake walk. She spends all day trying to catch the wind to make him her partner so she could have a better chance of winning. Ezel, her goofy friend can’t find anyone to dance with him because he is so clums. He teases her about trying to catch Brother Wind, but she is determined. She finally outwits him by trapping him in the barn, after many failed attempts, so now he must grant her a wish. When other girls are joking about Ezel’s clumsiness at the dance, she decides to wish that Brother Wind would help Ezel to dance like him for the cakewalk, and partners up with Ezel. The theme of this book is character and perserverance. Teachers can use this book to have their students to create their own cake walk. The teacher should end with a discussion about the book and how the students felt about the cake walk.

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

1989 Caldecott Honor - Favorite Illustration: Mirandy trying to catch the wind in the beautiful, colorful quilt!
I love this quirky folk tale about a young girl's quest to capture the wind in order to force him to help her win the cake walk. Even more than the story, though, I love the beautiful illustrations that share in the charming, wonderful tale. This, to me, is the perfect example of what the Caldecott is for: a nearly seamless pairing of wonderful illustrations and a beautiful story. I also appreciated the author's note about the origin of the cakewalk and the importance of said celebrations to her family.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author based this story on an African-American cakewalk tradition in which couples danced in a competition in order to win a cake. She places the story in the early 1900s, when she has a photo of her grandparents who had just won a cakewalk. It is also set in the south, with dialect to match. The watercolor paintings are lively and energetic, and of course, very colorful. Pinkney is a whiz at illustrating people, animals and plants.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has great themes like determination, imagination, and standing up for other people. All very subtle and part of the story rather than a heavy handed attempt to teach a lesson. I'd say the age range for read aloud is 4-8, but it is a bit long for the young attention span.
I loved the introduction with a personal note about the history of the cake walk.
A solid 3.5, just not quite a 4 for me.

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that this story began with an author's note providing a background story to the book. Too many times the author's note is at the end which ads information that would have been helpful during the story. The concept of catching wind was an odd one and I can foresee kids having a diffiult time understanding how you can see and catch wind. In the beginning of the story I felt the wind looked like a leprechaun. Nothing particularly outstanding about this book. It's an ok story.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mirandy was determined to win the cakewalk that night, so she set out to capture Brother Wind to be her dance partner. (The cakewalk was introduced by slaves and is rooted in Afro-American culture.) Mirandy's clumsy friend Ezel, trying to make her jealous, teased her that he would ask another girl to the dance with him, but she still tried to catch Brother Wind.
Lovely ending and wonderful illustrations.

[Cheryl]

Well. Youtube has videos that are samples of stage plays based on this, with Black (African-American? British African?) casts. And the author and illustrator are African-American and won many awards given to recognize works of multi-cultural value. So, to claim that this is racist is misguided.

Unfortunately, I still just plain didn't care for it. Dunno why. Sorry.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story didn’t do much for me, but I was interested in the wind being characterized as a man. The ending felt like a let-down, though. (This is one of the few books of this challenge about which I truly have nothing to say. Hence the very short commentary!)

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the overall story, I just didn't like the way it was told. The dialect was outdated and unflattering, and the pacing was irregular -- at time dragging, and at other times jumping ahead.

The illustrations were great, though.

[Meleah Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an inspirational story that I enjoyed reading. Mirandy is such a fun character and I enjoyed learning about the cultural background presented during this book.

[Seema Rao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tale of a young girl who makes friends with the wind told in realistic, but magical watercolor illustrations.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art in this book is so wonderful, though the story lost me and my preschooler at times. There are great moments in the story and the book is worth looking at just for the illustrations.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a cakewalk, early black history style. Caldecott Honor book with gorgeous, colorful pictures. Whimsical story of dancing with the wind.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great idea but short on explanation of what and why.

[Cassandra Gelvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure whether I'd rather catch the wind or inherit it.

This review was originally published at http://www.drttmk.com/books/mirandy-a....

The main character is a girl named Mirandy. It seems to take place in the American South based on the dialects in the book. The whole community is African-American.

Mirandy is planning on going to the junior cakewalk the next evening, and sees the wind blowing by and personified as "Brother Wind." Mirandy expresses a wish to her mother that Brother Wind would be her partner at the dance. "Ma Dear smiled. 'There's an old saying that whoever catch the Wind can make him do their bidding.'" Oddly enough, the illustration does not make her look like she's smiling. It makes her look angry. Maybe she just has a fierce-looking brow, or resting angry face.

For the rest of the book, Mirandy wanders around, trying to figure out how to catch the wind. She asks various people, and her friend Ezel, who is super clumsy, comes by. She tells him that she's going to dance with the wind at the cakewalk, and it's pretty clear that Ezel wanted to dance with her and is disappointed. He doesn't actually tell her, though, he just says, "But I thought I..." and then trails off. Then he smiles. He asks Mirandy if he should ask Orlinda to dance with him. Mirandy expresses apathy at this suggestion, and then leaves and tries to catch the wind with a quilt and fails. She keeps trying and failing, and then returning to Ezel for advice. Ezel suggests that she might need a partner, but she thinks he's mocking her instead of trying to flirt, and basically says, 'You wait! I'll show you I can catch the wind!'

Mirandy and Ezel seem to be around 12 or 14. Mirandy goes to visit a "conjure woman" who tells her how to catch the wind in a bottle, only requesting that Mirandy wear a particular scarf at the dance for payment. Mirandy fails at catching the wind in a bottle. Later, the wind is in Mirandy's family's barn, and she knows that her father had stuffed all the cracks in the barn so it wouldn't leak, so she slams the barn door shut and declares that she's caught the wind.

The dance is that night. Orlinda asks her, "Who gon' be yo' partner?" Mirandy says, "He's real special.... I wish you and Ezel luck. Y'all gonna need it." Orlinda scoffs, saying that she's not dancing with Ezel, since he's so clumsy and she doesn't want him to trip over her. Mirandy gets mad and tells her to stop making fun of Ezel since he's her friend, and declares that she and Ezel are going to win the cake. Then she second-guesses herself, since she already has a dance partner, the wind that she caught, but then goes and whispers a wish into the barn.

She and Ezel dance that night. Ezel dances very well despite usually being clumsy. They win the cakewalk. Mirandy's grandmother, upon seeing them, says, "Them chullin' is dancing with the Wind!"

I like that the book leaves it open whether her wish actually came true or not, because it's definitely possible for somebody to be clumsy in some circumstances (especially when they're near someone they have a crush on) but graceful in other areas. Like people can have difficulty speaking in front of a crowd, but can have no trouble acting in a role in front of others.

It's just this misunderstanding between friends. She thinks Ezel is telling her she can't do something, when he's really trying to suggest that they could dance together without saying it. And it turns out she dances with him because he's her friend and she doesn't want other people being mean to him. She sticks up for him and does the right thing.

The things she does to try to catch the wind are kind of fun. And it's never actually stated what her wish was. It's got a good ending. Neither Mirandy nor Ezel were trying to hurt each other's feelings, and in the end it all works out.

Message: Stick up for your friends.

[Prabhat sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mirandy and Brother Wind (Paperback) by Patricia C. McKissack, Illustrator- Jerry Pinkney- Hindi language translation by Aravinda Gupta- Children’s Illustrated Colour Picture Book- The book narrates the Afro-American story about cakewalk dance. In this dance, the winner must be so that as if wind is her brother and partner in the dance. Junior Cake walk Jubilee will soon be organised. Young girl Mirandy has viewed the photograph of her grandmother performing the dance and winning the cake. Mirandy has to control wind. decided to win this dance event. Mirandy is determined to capture the best partner for the junior cakewalk jubilee. Grandmama Beasley says, “Can’t nobody put shackles on Brother Wind, chile. He will be special. He will be free.” With neighbors up and down Ridgetop suggesting all manner of strategies, and friend Ezel laughing at each foiled one, Mirandy grows ever more determined: she’ll get hold of that Brother Wind yet! She meets a magician who provides her with to ribbons to wear for the dance. She informs her that you can control wind with the help of black Pepper. On the evening of the dance, Mirandy & Ezel dance with spirit as if they have captured the wind. Judges declare them the winner. Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations are rich, eye-catching watercolors of the rural South America. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.

[Tess Upchurch · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story follows a young girl as she tries to find the perfect dance partner for her country’s cake walk. She is told that if she can capture Brother Wind he will be forced to grant her wishes and dance with her at the cake walk. She ends up capturing Brother Wind but uses her wish to grant her clumsy friend the ability to dance. They successfully win the cake walk and they are the talk of the town for weeks to come.

This book was well illustrated, and I liked how the wind was depicted in a mostly human like form. This really showed how connected Mirandy’s culture was to nature. Although this book was well crafted, easy to understand, and had an adorable ending it was not my favorite book. I’m not quite sure why but for some reason the plot seemed a bit off to me. I think this is mostly due to the fact that I had a hard time conceptualizing someone capturing wind.

I think this is something that my students would have trouble understanding as well. Due to this I would likely not use it in my classroom, but I would consider keeping it in a classroom library for students with more abstract thinking capabilities.

[Set · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little conflicted with this book because I like the south and their folktales but I can also see how some may not appreciate a reminder of these days. I'm sure that some folks from the south might find this story nostalgic while others find it equally offensive. The broken English from generations of slavery, poverty, and segregation is nostalgic and comforting to some but can also be a sour reminder of racial injustice in the south. I don't know. I guess some people like those Spanglish books with a bunch of stereotypes because it was true to their childhood reality while others find it insufferable, especially if they've been here for many generations.

The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and the story is very clever but I can't get past the broken English. I don't mind if it's a book for older people but I don't think it's a good example for children that are vocabulary building and learning to read properly.