Today is Ride the Wind Day. Here's what I came up with to celebrate!

Kites: Flying Skills and Techniques, from Basic Toys to Sports Kites, by Rosanne Cobb. I remember trying to fly a kite as a kid. I'd run and run and all the kite did was bounce along behind me. Avoid that childhood drama by following the instructions in this book! With a very simple design, build and fly a kite. I spent a while saying "Wow!" in the last part of the book showing kites that can tow a three wheeled vehicle, a skateboarder, a skier or a snowboarder.

Flight: Balloons, Kites, Airships and Gliders, by June Loves is a nicely done, simple history book. Good pictures, easy to read, I think kids will enjoy it (I'm never sure anymore, given all that is available on-line) ;-) Be sure to check out the complex box kite!

Ever have the urge to soar like an eagle? I understand that's how hang-gliders feel. Read about them in Hang Gliding and Parasailing, by John E. Schindler. How is it done? What does one wear? I read, I learned, I will keep my feet on the ground. :-0

Just who (or what) uses the wind? Ride the Wind: Airborne Journey's of Animals and Plants, by Seymour Simon, illustrated by Elsa Warnick answers that question. See how birds, bats, insects, seeds, and even spiders use the wind. Lovely illustrations.

One Leaf Rides the Wind: Counting in a Japanese Garden, by Celeste Davidson Mannis and pictures by Susan Kathleen Hartung is a counting book told in haiku. Clever verse, nice pictures with a more detailed history at the bottom of each page made for a an excellent read.

And of course, that wonderful song from the movie Mary Poppins, "Let's Go Fly a Kite" by Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman. :-)

Reading Hermit With Dog