Title: Whisper On the Wind
Author: Claire Saxby
Illustrator: Jess Racklyeft
Published: March 2022
Publisher: Allen and Unwin
Readership: Children’s Picturebook
Rating: ★★★★
RRP: $24.99
I received a copy of Whisper On the Wind from the publishers for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A stunning picture book about separation, connection and reunion from the team behind the glorious Iceberg, renowned picture book creators Claire Saxby and Jess Racklyeft.
that carries the whisper
from Ren’s dream.
This is the sailor,
long at sea,
who catches it.
The multi-award-winning duo behind Iceberg returns! With its lyrical, cumulative text and whimsical, richly imagined artwork, Whisper on the Wind is a celebration of the wonders of the ocean and the power of love to find us – wherever we are.
Whisper On the Wind is a gorgeously illustrator story about the connection between people who are reunited after periods of separation, and the story itself is supported by gorgeous, dreamlike illustrations.
In a lighthouse Ren waits and dreams of the return of their family – setting that dream free, like a message in a bottle, across the ocean to travel to them. The dream passes by many animals and things in the sea until it reaches its destination.
This is a story that has a beautiful, lyrical quality to it. If you’re familiar with the children’s picture book Isabella’s Garden, this as a very similar writing style. The rhyming phrases build up and repeat on each page, which makes this not only beautiful to read, but also to read aloud and listen to.
Jess Racklyeft’s illustrations are incredibly vibrant and eye-catching and really showcase the beauty that is the sea. There’s a magical quality to them – each pages highlights the vastness of the sea, the size and mysteriousness of its’ inhabitants and it’s sure to capture the imaginations of readers.
This is a gorgeous story that makes for a perfect read aloud or bedtime story.
You can hear me review Whisper On the Wind in this video: