Who Has Seen the Wind (1947)

This is the story of Brian O'Connal's childhood in a small town on the Saskatchewan prairie. It's full of memorable characters and even some amusing scenes in the life of a small town. I especially enjoyed Brian's first visit to the farm when he lived with his uncle for a time. The dialect sometimes made it difficult to read, but it's a book that would make a terrific read aloud for elementary aged children. The physical dimensions of the book I borrowed through interlibrary loan made it somewhat uncomfortable to read, but the illustrations made up for it. ( )

A charming story about growing up in a small town on the prarie of Canada. ( )

First published in 1947, a beloved Canadian classic. Who Has Seen the Wind is about a boy, Brian O'Connal, growing up from age 4 to age 11, in a small town on the Saskatchewan prairie in the 1920s and 30s. A gentle, simple, unsentimental, realistic account of childhood and small town life, that resonates across time and place. Mitchell's forward says, "Many interpreters of the Bible believe the wind to be symbolic of Godhood. In this story I have tried to present sympathetically the struggle of a boy to understand what still defeats mature and learned men - the ultimate meaning of the cycle of life. To him are revealed in moments of fleeting vision the realities of birth, hunger, satiety, eternity, death. They are moments when an inquiring heart seeks finality, and the chain of darkness is broken. This is the story of a boy and the wind." ( )