The Giggle Wind (ISBN 0972560920)

The Best Children's Book I've Read:
"Giggle Wind" is one of the best children's books I've ever read. The author is very in depth, but not to the point that a child can't understand it. It's detail description of settings throughout the book makes you feel you're actually there living the story with the little girl and her mom. The author's writing not only holds the attention of an adult reading it for their children, but holds the child's attention as well. I very much hope the author follows this one up with another children's book in the near future.

Listening to the Environment:
Elizabeth, a honey-brown skin girl with bouncing curls, is a typical curious child. She lives in Panama City, Florida and loves to explore the beach area. On a particular day when Elizabeth explores the beach, she thinks she hears "giggles" from the wind. Possibly in trouble because she explored the beach in her Sunday clothes, she hurries home, hoping her mom does not notice the dirty clothes. Her mom notices the dirty clothes and disciplines Elizabeth. All is forgiven and Elizabeth returns to her curious self. She tells her parents about the sounds she heard at the beach. Her dad does not believe her, but her mom does. Elizabeth and her mom takes a walk back to the beach. Elizabeth's mom tells Elizabeth about the Legend of the Giggle Wind. It is a legend about keeping the beach clean and protecting the plants and animals that live on the beach. If I look at the overall theme of protecting environment, I would say this book would appeal to some children. Some children care about the environment and endangered animals. The legend would be appealing to most children because children love hearing stories about "strange phenomena." The writing is good and age appropriate for grades 3-5. Elizabeth's character is realistic and lovable. The illustrations are good, especially the faces on the lichens. However, I think the illustrations would be more effective in color. Caring about the environment is an important subject that should be a concern for ALL children. I'm glad Carol wrote this book and brought it to our attention.

Beautiful story:
Andrews' book reminded me so much of my relationship with my mother. She has captured that special bond, that can only exist between a mother and a child, and which contains more than what usually can be told in simple words - yet that's what this book excels about. Highly recommended.

Teaching about environment:
The GIGGLE WIND, written by Carol Andrews, is an entertaining as well as educational story all parents should definitely share with their children. It covers the importance of the environment and what we can do to protect it in our day-to-day actions. Elizabeth lives near the beach and finds herself out in her Sunday clothes exploring the area around her house when she falls and dirties her clothes. She adjusts her hair and then wonders why she didn't bruise herself when she fell. It is then that she hears a soft giggle in the wind and is immediately drawn to the sound. She's unable to find the source of the giggling, so she heads home to get cleaned up before her mother can see her. After being duly reprimanded by her mother, Elizabeth tells her family of the sounds she heard and her mother immediately recalls the story of The Giggle Wind. After dinner, they head back out to the beach in hopes of hearing the sound again. It is then that Elizabeth's mother shares the story with her, telling her about lichens and their environmental benefit to the world. She also shares the importance of not polluting or destroying the area. In the midst of her story, the mother lichen is listening closely and when Elizabeth's mother finishes her story, she shares the beautiful sound of the giggle wind with her and Elizabeth. This story was absolutely delightful! Not only is it educational, but it was heartwarming to see Elizabeth's mother share such an important part of how to be responsible. Coupled with the beautiful artwork of Steven M. Cozart, this is a book that I look forward to recommending to other parents. The illustrations are done in a sepia type tone that is remarkable. Though not as vivid as color would make it, the technique used by the author is breathtaking from the distinctive features of the characters, to their surroundings. It truly brought this story to life. Reviewed by Tee C. Royal of The RAWSISTAZ™Reviewers