Friday, February 1, 2013

Blowin' In The Wind

Picture book
I remember singing Bob Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind around
campfires, watching the shifting flame patterns, the smoke drifting
skyward. As a young person troubled by the war in 'Nam, the cruelties
of racism, and other heavy issues, I felt the gentle questions tug at
my heart. Jon Muth heard this song on his transistor radio.
Fortunately he is a talented artist. He's turned it into a delightful
picture book, making it accessible to new generations of patents and
children.
On the cover a child holding a guitar reaches for a paper
airplane. The paper airplane is a unifying theme found on each two
page spread, a metaphor for the answers to the song's poignant
questions. It glides past a boy walking through a strand of birch
trees, children rowing boats, a wistful polar bear on an ice floe, a
flag draped cannon... In the end a number of them soar toward the
clouds.
The book includes a CD of Bob Dylan singing Blowin' In The Wind
in 1963. If you have children to share this dear song, as relevant
today as it was when it was written, with or just find it stirs up
precious memories, it is quite the worthwhile purchase!
On a personal note, don't forget today is women's heart health day.
Heart disease kills too many of us. Gotta put a stop to that!
A great big shout out goes out to everyone who wore red today to raise
this awareness.
Julia Emily Hathaway

Sent from my iPod

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