{"id":5556,"date":"2022-03-27T00:01:20","date_gmt":"2022-03-27T06:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5556"},"modified":"2022-03-27T07:11:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-27T13:11:14","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-788-featuring-marianne-dubuc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=5556","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #788: Featuring Marianne Dubuc"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nIn the world of picture books, we see a lot of hero journeys, which usually involve the hero returning home. I love Marianne Dubuc’s<\/a><\/strong> Bear and the Whisper of the Wind<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/em> (Princeton Architectural Press, March 2022), originally published in French in 2020, because the protagonist takes a different kind of journey, the kind that takes him away from home and the kind that is hard to explain \u2014 but nonetheless necessary. <\/p>\n

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Bear lives in a small, comfortable cottage in the woods. He has friends, even ones who bring strawberry pie. He lives a “sweet life” and has everything he needs. But one day the “wind changes, and Bear senses that it is time to go.”<\/p>\n

That’s it. He just feels it in his bones. Maybe he can’t really even explain it, but he just knows that his chair is not as cozy as before and even that strawberry pie doesn’t taste as good. There are even subtle hints that Bear has experienced a loss, possibly (and I love that it’s never laid out in great detail). It’s time for Bear to move on. It’s time for something new. He sets off, leaving his door open for someone else who might need his snug, cozy home. <\/p>\n

Mind you, Bear isn’t entirely sure about where to go. Essentially, he follows the wind. There are times he feels lonely, but there are also times he feels free. <\/p>\n

He meets kind Rabbit, who invites him in. He feels safe and comfortable for the first time in a while, but once again he “hears the whisper of the wind telling him that it is time to go.” It’s not always easy \u2014 Bear gets lost and must face his fears \u2014 but he makes a new friend and a new home. And the “wind is quiet again.” <\/p>\n

I love Bear’s wanderlust and restlessness, his uncertainty and daring. (Just look at him on that cover, heading out alone, despite not knowing what’s to come.) I love that his departure doesn’t have to be explained. And I love, as always, Dubuc’s delicate, fine-lined illustrations in pencil, colored pencil, and watercolors. It’s easy to linger over these spreads and get lost in Bear’s journey. Below are some spreads. (The black lines down the center represent the book’s gutter.)
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“He still likes to sit in his favorite chair, but it isn’t as cozy as it used to be.
And he still loves the smell of strawberry pie, but it doesn’t taste as good as it used to.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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“Bear doesn’t know where to go …”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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“To lose something, or someone, that you love is very sad.
‘Would you like a slice of strawberry pie?’ Rabbit asks.”<\/em>
(Click spread to enlarge)<\/center>
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(Click spread to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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(Click cover to enlarge)<\/em><\/center>
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\nBEAR AND THE WHISPER OF THE WIND. Text & illustrations \u00a9 Marianne Dubuc, 2020. Original title: <\/em>Ours et le murmure de vent. English edition \u00a9 Princeton Architectural Press, 2022. Illustrations reproduced by their permission.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * * Jules’s Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

1)<\/strong><\/font> Ice cream cake. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> A new song<\/a><\/strong> from Andrew Bird. Also, this:
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