Mirandy and Brother Wind

Title: Mirandy and Brother Wind

Author: Patricia C. McKissack

Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc

Date of Publication: 1988

This is the story of a young girl, Mirandy, and her quest to win the local cakewalk.  She knows the best chance she has for winning is if she can catch Brother Wind.  With Brother Wind as her partner no one stands a chance against her.  Mirandy is full of life and energy. She attempts to catch the wind in various ways, each time she turns up unsuccessful she keeps up her determination and spirit to try again.  The illustrations are full of color, detail and the spirit of the text.  All of the illustrations are full page and follow the content of the text.

This book is a great piece of multicultural literature.  The history of how the cakewalk came to be is included in the author’s note at the forefront of the book.  The dialect in the text is very authentic and gives the reader a feel for the time and location in which this story takes place.  African American culture is represented through the tradition of dance and the use of language.  Children will be able to relate to this story by connecting modern day cakewalks to the history of the dance.  With the use of AAL the author provides a connection for those students who speak AAL or have a family member that does.