Sultry watercolor washes in a realistic flowing style spread luxuriously and consistently over every two pages in this story set in the rural south. Young Mirandy wants to win her town's cakewalk jubilee, a festive dance contest. (According to the "Author's Note," this dance was "first introduced in America by slaves. . .and is rooted in Afro-American culture.") Everyone says that if she captures the Wind he will do her bidding, but nobody seems to know how to capture him. In the end, Mirandy does believe that she has captured Brother Wind, but she also proves that she is a true friend to clumsy Ezel. McKissack's sincere belief in the joy of living is delightfully translated into this story which concludes, "When Grandmama Beasley had seen Mirandy and Ezel turning and spinning, moving like shadows in the flickering candlelight, she'd thrown back her head, laughed, and said, 'Them chullin' is dancing with the Wind!' " A captivating story, with a winning heroine, told in black dialect. Gratia Banta, Germantown Public Library, Ohio Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.