Mindy Dwyer – författare

It''s Only the Wind is set in the foothills of the mountains. It is that time of night when young kids have a hard time transitioning to sleep and call out to mom from bed with one request after another. This story playfully hops back and forth between real and imagined, fact and fantasy, from soft, shadowy quiet to bright and colorful action. The story celebrates children''s heightened imagination with imagery that takes the children from their cozy beds into the sky, away from their room as they envision the meaning of their mother''s explanations. Wind words lyrically wind through the double spreads as the kids fly, sweep, sing, and sail always with their eyes closed, as mom has asked them to do so they can be ready for sleep. Sprawled among their bed sheets, the children''s curiosity is finally satisfied, as you will see in the end. Wind facts included on the last page.

In many Native American stories of creation, Coyote proudly takes his place as the ultimate trickster, the mischievous hero whose lessons may even include painful lessons for the unwary. Mindy Dwyer''s retelling of a Northwest coyote legend allows readers young and old to meet that same colorful and wily creature, but this time made vulnerable himself by love.

Coyote in Love is a tale of love and the way things came to be. Children will be entranced as they hear of the antics of Coyote as he sings to the heavens in pursuit of the love of a star. They''ll also learn from the Old Ones how a lake with never-ending depth and the bluest waters of Oregon''s Crate Lake was formed by a flood of tears from heartbroken Coyote. This appealing legend is matched by the bright, whimsical watercolor images of Coyote.