WHERE DOES THE WIND BLOW?

Rink's debut, a meditation on the wind, explores the ways in which wind touches people and places around the world and connects them ("And when the grass stops waving and the wind moves along,/ Just think—you and I are now part of its song"). In the opening scene, a mother and son stand side by side atop a hill swept by wind. " 'Where does it come from?' you ask me,/ 'Where does it go? What does it see?' " Framed and full-bleed pastels illustrate the mother's answers: "The wind sees children in their beds at night/ It passes people sitting by a campfire light." Unfortunately, Rink's images are often stiff, and many are stereotypical. As the wind "whistles through China," for example, a boy flies a dragon kite. In the background, a junk fleet waits in the harbor. Readers missing a loved one may appreciate Link's message of interconnection and the binding force of nature, but the artwork may not attract them back. Ages 4-10. (Sept.)