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WORK TITLE: Willow Takes on the Weather
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BIRTHDATE:
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COUNTRY: Australia
NATIONALITY: Australian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 379
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: five.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer. Has worked as a producer and presenter for ABC/BBC Radio.
AWARDS:Winner, Parenting Express/My Child Short Story Competition, 2012.
WRITINGS
Contributor to the Mummy Muddles blog.
SIDELIGHTS
Australian author Rachel Noble is the creator of the picture books Finn’s Feather and Marty. A mother of five, Noble’s experiences reading to her children ignited a passion for picture books. As she explained on her website: “I have five children aged between 17 and 7, so every night for 17 years I have read stories. It was with one of my babes on my lap that I fell in love with the picture books.” Noble has described the loss of her son Hamish as the inspiration for her debut book, Finn’s Feather. Speaking of Hamish in a KidLitt 411 interview, Noble remarked that “he remains my biggest muse.”
Finn’s Feather was described by School Library Journal reviewer Elizabeth Blake as “a truly lovely look at loss and remembrance.” On the first day of spring, Finn spots a perfect white feather that was sent to him by his brother in heaven, Hamish. Finn shows the feather to his mother and teacher, who both sigh, smile, and hug Finn, reminding him that Hamish will always be with him. The little boy prefers to celebrate the feather as Hamish would have wanted, and his friend Lucas understands the joy associated with the special sign from heaven. The two friends excitedly play with the feather by placing it on top of a pretend castle, using it to tickle each other, and rescuing it when it blows away into a tree. Inspired to write a letter to Hamish expressing how much he misses him, Finn sets it in a tree to allow the wind to deliver it to his brother in heaven. After his mother sees how important the feather is to Finn, she helps him plant a tree in remembrance of his brother. Despite the difficult subject matter, Blake described Finn’s Feather as “a light, happy story that teaches readers, through Finn, how to celebrate and remember a loved one.” A critic in Kirkus Reviews echoed these sentiments, stating that the book “is less about grieving the loss of a loved one than finding positive ways to remember and to regard the deceased.”
A green Martian on a mission to go unnoticed is featured in Marty, illustrated by Zoey Abbott. Marty goes to great lengths to avoid being perceived as an outsider and dons a variety of disguises including a business suit, western wear, and a swimsuit. A rock star costume leads to an open-mic performance where Marty subsequently becomes famous. As a result of his new-found fame, Marty is chased by paparazzi who out him as a Martian. When a child steps in to befriend Marty and ask him to move in, he is finally able to live his true identity as the Martian he is. Calling the work “charming,” a Kirkus Reviews critic enjoyed the “abundant situational humor” and the “endearing, empathetic character” of Marty. The same critic felt that child stepping in to protect Marty “serves as a superb example of allyship.” “This bubbly fable by Noble embraces being oneself,” in the words of a Publishers Weekly critic.
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The titular character in Willow Takes on the Weather is a young girl who is excited to swim on a beautiful day. When the weather does not cooperate, however, and instead howls and rains, Willow decides to show the weather that she is more powerful, but eventually she has to accept that she is not. It is only at that point that she can embrace the fact that maybe playing in the rain can be just as much fun as swimming in the pool. Illustrations by Annabel Tempest bring the dramatic confrontation between child and weather to life.
In Booklist, Connie Fletcher called the book “charming” and “funny.” Fletcher appreciated the illustrations’ “energetic lines and clever personification” of the different facets of weather. “A sunny tale about making the most of stormy weather,” wrote a contributor in Kirkus Reviews. They enjoyed how Willow’s “big personality . . . shines out in the splashy illustrations.”
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BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, January, 2025, Connie Fletcher, review of Willow Takes on the Weather, p. 70.
Children’s Bookwatch, July 1, 2018, review of Finn’s Feather.
Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2018, review of Finn’s Feather; June 1, 2021, review of Marty; November 1, 2024, review of Willow Takes on the Weather.
Publishers Weekly, May 7, 2018, review of Finn’s Feather, p. 65; May 3, 2021, review of Marty, p. 56.
School Library Journal, July, 2018, Elizabeth Blake, review of Finn’s Feather, p. 55.
ONLINE
Just Kids’ Lit, http://www.justkidslit.com/ (May 24, 2018), author interview.
Kellie Byrnes website, https://www.kelliebyrnes.com/ (June 24, 2018), Kellie Byrnes, author interview.
KidLitt411, http://www.kidlit411.com/ (November 23, 2018), author interview.
Kids’ Book Review, http://www.kids-bookreview.com/ (July 10, 2018), author interview.
Mama Mia, https://www.mamamia.com.au/ (March 7, 2019), Rachel Noble, author essay.
Rachel Noble website, http://rachelnobleauthor.com (November 2, 2021).*
Storm Literary Agency, https://www.stormliteraryagency.com/ (April 12, 2025), author bio.
Rachel is the author of Willow Takes on the Weather, illustrated by Annabel Tempest (Page Street Kids, 2025), ohPeas in a Pod, illustrated by Katie Rewse (Amicus Ink, 2022), Marty (Holiday House, 2021) and Finn's Feather (Enchanted Lion, 2018) which are both illustrated by Zoey Abbott. With four children of her own, Rachel fell in love with picture books after spending over 15 years with one of her children (sometimes two) on her knee reading stories at bedtime! She lives in Queensland, Australia with her family, dog Eddie and Cleo the cat.
Rachel was sent to the Principal’s office in Grade Three for using the word ‘distinguished’ in a creative writing task. From that moment, words became her passion – writing them, speaking them. Strangely, writing as a profession never crossed her mind until four years ago when no other vocation made sense.
Rachel worked for ABC and BBC Local Radio as a producer, journalist and presenter for many years. As her family expanded, she worked as a copywriter and voice-over artist (her walk-in closet was her studio).
In 2012, Rachel lost her youngest child Hamish. The words came pouring out of her and refused to cease. Her first picture book, Finn’s Feather (Enchanted Lion, June 2018) is in honor of Hamish and is about memory, resilience, and friendship. This book is a dream come true.
Rachel is a prolific picture book writer and is committed to writing stories that delight, comfort and give children wonderful dreams. Fortunately, she has four children to inspire her and they do, everyday.
Rachel lives in Queensland Australia, and can often be found in her local café with a cappuccino and laptop.
Willow Takes On the Weather.
By Rachel Noble. Illus. by Annabel Tempest.
Jan. 2025. 32p. Page Street Kids, $18.99 (9798890031600).
PreS-Gr. 3.
A little girl pits herself against the forces of nature and learns that acceptance and compromise can mean success in this charming, funny picture book. It's a sunny day, and Willow, wearing sunglasses, a swimsuit, and a flamingo flotation device, is set to play in the backyard kiddie pool--"but Weather had plans of its own." Wind, a purple swirl with an oblong face, blows in. Willow protests, Wind howls in her face--and Willow blows back, to Wind's amazement. This starts a tug-of-war between Willow and the elements of Rain (Willow throws its drops back) and Clouds (Willow tries to push them away) that show Willow's fearlessness and determination. The digital illustrations' energetic lines and clever personification of each element make the struggle seem both comic and real. Willow puts up quite a fight, earning the elements' grudging respect. Ultimately, however, Willow bends to the inevitable, realizing she must abandon her sunny-day plans. She starts playing with Wind, Rain, and Clouds, showing that sometimes the best thing you can do is enjoy what life, or the weather, throws at you.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Fletcher, Connie. "Willow Takes On the Weather." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 9-10, Jan. 2025, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A829739527/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fba832fd. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
Noble, Rachel WILLOW TAKES ON THE WEATHER Page Street (Children's None) $18.99 1, 7 ISBN: 9798890031600
One young force of nature tackles several others when rain and wind swoop in to spoil her plans to play outside.
Having gathered up a pool toy and other props for a round of play outdoors, Willow--portrayed as a tan-skinned child with unruly red hair--is in no mood to let a storm interfere. But when her determined efforts to blow away the swirling winds, push off the gray clouds, and bat back the rain prove futile, she changes tack and goes on to enjoy a morning of dancing in puddles with a puffy dark cloud, playing tug of war with the purple wind, and chasing rainbows until it's time to go back indoors and the sun comes out to beam brightly over all. "Thank you, Weather! Get ready for tomorrow," she beams back, gathering her gear and waving goodbye. "We've gotbigplans!" The aptly named illustrator depicts the various weather elements in translucent digital watercolors with smiling faces. Willow displays an admirable mix of strongmindedness and adaptability, with a big personality that shines out in the splashy illustrations. Readers with a taste for solitary play who identify with characters such as Peter in Ezra Jack Keats'Snowy Day will enjoy this summery alternative.
A sunny tale about making the most of stormy weather.(Picture book. 5-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Noble, Rachel: WILLOW TAKES ON THE WEATHER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883747/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=553b6cce. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.