{"id":4252,"date":"2025-09-22T10:58:45","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T02:58:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/?p=4252"},"modified":"2025-10-12T21:56:21","modified_gmt":"2025-10-12T13:56:21","slug":"wind_watchers_2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/2025\/09\/22\/wind_watchers_2025\/","title":{"rendered":"See\u00ading the wind\u2014a life that can feel mir\u00ada\u00adcles is more mag\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcent"},"content":{"rendered":"
Wind Watch\u00aders Chi\u00adnese ver\u00adsion cov\u00ader<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Among all the forces of nature we know, wind may be the most elusive\u2014and the most evoca\u00adtive. Invis\u00adi\u00adble and intan\u00adgi\u00adble, yet felt in every moment of its pres\u00adence. How can such an abstract ele\u00adment be brought to life in a pic\u00adture book? In Wind Watch\u00aders, Calde\u00adcott Hon\u00ador win\u00adner Micha Archer offers a stun\u00adning answer: through lyri\u00adcal, poet\u00adic lan\u00adguage and her sig\u00adna\u00adture rich\u00adly lay\u00adered col\u00adlage illus\u00adtra\u00adtions, she cap\u00adtures the spir\u00adit of the wind with remark\u00adable beau\u00adty and grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Screen\u00adshot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I have trans\u00adlat\u00adedThree poet\u00adic pic\u00adture books writ\u00adten and illus\u00adtrat\u00aded by Misha fea\u00adtur\u00ading the lit\u00adtle boy Daniel<\/a>Her work is renowned for its sharp obser\u00adva\u00adtion and gen\u00adtle, metic\u00adu\u00adlous tech\u00adnique, par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly excelling at trans\u00adform\u00ading seem\u00ading\u00adly ordi\u00adnary, every\u00adday scenes into poet\u00adic realms of explo\u00adration and sur\u00adprise. In 2022, she received a Calde\u00adcott Hon\u00ador for Won\u00adder Walk\u00aders, a book that exem\u00adpli\u00adfies her sig\u00adna\u00adture style.\nHer newest title, Wind Watch\u00aders (2025), feels like a culmination\u2014and elevation\u2014of that artis\u00adtic vision.\nWhile the sto\u00adry is told through the eyes of three sib\u00adlings, the true pro\u00adtag\u00ado\u00adnist is the wind itself: ever-chang\u00ading across the sea\u00adsons, some\u00adtimes ten\u00adder, some\u00adtimes wild.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text in this book seems brief, yet it pos\u00adsess\u00ades a pre\u00adcise and dynam\u00adic pow\u00ader: \u201cIn spring, Wind answers with a puff at the petals, mak\u00ading them flut\u00adter and fall,\u201d \u201cWhen Wind\u2019s only answer is a rip\u00adple on the pond,\u201d \u201cWhen fall comes, Wind can work won\u00adders, scat\u00adter\u00ading seeds and help\u00ading geese soar.\u201d \u201cWind tells us it\u2019s win\u00adter when it blows in from the north.\u201d Com\u00adbined with vibrant, dynam\u00adic images, as we turn the pages, we can almost feel the chang\u00ading ges\u00adtures of the wind as the sea\u00adsons change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Since its release in the U.S., Wind Watch\u00aders has gar\u00adnered wide acclaim from both crit\u00adics and read\u00aders. Kirkus Reviews called it \u201cpro\u00adfound and beau\u00adti\u00adful\u00adly poet\u00adic.\u201d Pub\u00adlish\u00aders Week\u00adly praised its \u201ctapes\u00adtry-like spreads [that] are ful\u00adly devel\u00adoped right to the edges, con\u00adsis\u00adtent\u00adly offer\u00ading new things to find.\u201d School Library Jour\u00adnal described it as \u201ca jour\u00adney shaped through stead\u00adfast inquiry and vibrant illus\u00adtra\u00adtions, bring\u00ading the sen\u00adso\u00adry expe\u00adri\u00adence to life.\u201d Read\u00aders on Goodreads echoed these sen\u00adti\u00adments: \u201cRead\u00ading this book feels like hear\u00ading the wind whis\u00adper in your ear, and watch\u00ading it dance before your eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A key rea\u00adson for such strong res\u00ado\u00adnance is Misha Archer\u2019s choice of col\u00adlage. In an inter\u00adview, she stat\u00aded that this method gives her a sense of free\u00addom and pos\u00adsi\u00adbil\u00adi\u00adty. Each piece of paper is metic\u00adu\u00adlous\u00adly dyed, past\u00aded, and rubbed, and the seals are all hand\u00admade. The place\u00adment of each ele\u00adment is imbued with both the serendip\u00adi\u00adtous and inevitable aspects of the cre\u00adative process, much like the unpre\u00addictable tra\u00adjec\u00adto\u00adry of the wind itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misha Archer\u2019s col\u00adlage art reflects her unique under\u00adstand\u00ading and love of pic\u00adture book cre\u00adation media:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First and fore\u00admost, she pur\u00adsues a rich sense of visu\u00adal depth. She says, \u201cI usu\u00adal\u00adly make minor mod\u00adi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions to each piece of paper to give the illus\u00adtra\u00adtions more depth.\u201d In \u201cWind Watch\u00aders\u201d, every gust of wind and every change of sea\u00adson is cap\u00adtured through a col\u00adlage of dif\u00adfer\u00adent tex\u00adtures, tex\u00adtures, and col\u00ador lay\u00aders, cre\u00adat\u00ading a rich\u00adness that far exceeds the pow\u00ader of a sin\u00adgle paint\u00ading tech\u00adnique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sec\u00adond\u00adly, it enhances cre\u00adative free\u00addom and vari\u00adabil\u00adi\u00adty. Misha empha\u00adsizes, \u201cThe most won\u00adder\u00adful thing about col\u00adlage is that you can keep exper\u00adi\u00adment\u00ading until you get the effect you like.\u201d In her cre\u00adative process, every scrap of paper, every stroke of col\u00ador (includ\u00ading smear\u00ading and scrap\u00ading), every cut and tear, becomes an imme\u00addi\u00adate and flex\u00adi\u00adble artis\u00adtic explo\u00adration. This spir\u00adit of free\u00addom per\u00adfect\u00adly echoes the unpre\u00addictabil\u00adi\u00adty of wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Third, there\u2019s the inti\u00adma\u00adcy of mate\u00adri\u00adals and tech\u00adniques. Misha hand\u00adcrafts paper, carves seals, and cre\u00adates rub\u00adbings, fus\u00ading paper col\u00adlect\u00aded from around the world with her own mate\u00adri\u00adals. Her work is imbued with the warmth and vital\u00adi\u00adty of hand\u00admade cre\u00adations, and like nature, is imbued with a ran\u00addom and serendip\u00adi\u00adtous beau\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final\u00adly, it\u2019s her relent\u00adless explo\u00adration of detail and fun. She enjoys find\u00ading \u201cinter\u00adest\u00ading things\u201d in life, such as the tex\u00adture of box\u00ades at home, the veins of leaves, the inden\u00adta\u00adtions of wrap\u00adping paper\u2026 This sen\u00adsi\u00adtive obser\u00adva\u00adtion of every\u00adday details per\u00adme\u00adates every image in \u201cWind Watch\u00aders\u201d, cre\u00adat\u00ading a bridge for a tac\u00adit dia\u00adlogue with read\u00aders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At a talk in Bei\u00adjing, renowned Japan\u00adese pic\u00adture book pub\u00adlish\u00ader Mr. Tadashi Mat\u00adsui once said, \u201cThe most pow\u00ader\u00adful pic\u00adture books are those that help us see what is nor\u00admal\u00adly invis\u00adi\u00adble.\u201d He cit\u00aded The Lit\u00adtle House as an exam\u00adple, prais\u00ading Vir\u00adginia Lee Burton\u2019s extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnary abil\u00adi\u00adty to make read\u00aders \u201csee time.\u201d In Wind Watch\u00aders, I believe Micha Archer per\u00adforms a sim\u00adi\u00adlar kind of mag\u00adic. Wind is, by nature, invisible\u2014but through her rich\u00adly lay\u00adered col\u00adlages, Micha makes its pres\u00adence almost tan\u00adgi\u00adble. As the book shows the wind lift\u00ading petals, toss\u00ading leaves, and swirling snowflakes, we almost for\u00adget that wind has no form at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Misha\u2019s love and curios\u00adi\u00adty for wind stems from her close rela\u00adtion\u00adship with nature. She lives in a self-built house in west\u00adern Mass\u00ada\u00adchu\u00adsetts, sur\u00adround\u00aded by forests and gar\u00addens. Dai\u00adly walks, observ\u00ading nature, and col\u00adlect\u00ading mate\u00adri\u00adals have become a vital part of her life and art. Her col\u00adlage art is imbued with the warmth and sim\u00adplic\u00adi\u00adty of hand\u00admade crafts\u00adman\u00adship. The intri\u00adcate and metic\u00adu\u00adlous crafts\u00adman\u00adship imbues each piece with unique char\u00adac\u00adter and vital\u00adi\u00adty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wind, as a nat\u00adur\u00adal force, is con\u00adstant\u00adly mov\u00ading and chang\u00ading, unpre\u00addictable and uncon\u00adtrol\u00adlable. Yet, it is pre\u00adcise\u00adly this uncon\u00adtrol\u00adlable force that con\u00adsti\u00adtutes the rich\u00adness and diver\u00adsi\u00adty of the world. \u201cWind Watch\u00aders\u201d not only redis\u00adcov\u00aders the wind but also reminds us to appre\u00adci\u00adate the unspo\u00adken, elu\u00adsive, yet ever-present mir\u00ada\u00adcles in life. For chil\u00addren, it is a visu\u00adal and sen\u00adso\u00adry adven\u00adture, allow\u00ading them to expe\u00adri\u00adence the chang\u00ading sea\u00adsons and the rhythms of nature. For adults, it serves as a reminder\u2014even as we grow old\u00ader, we must nev\u00ader lose our abil\u00adi\u00adty to observe the world and appre\u00adci\u00adate the beau\u00adty of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If \u201cWon\u00adder Walk\u00aders\u201d is a dia\u00adlogue with nature, then \u201cWind Watch\u00aders\u201d is more like a trib\u00adute to the wind and life. As we feel every breath and every rhythm of the wind between its pages, we redis\u00adcov\u00ader the vast\u00adness and grandeur of life. Indeed, even the wind itself would exclaim, \u201cSome\u00adtimes my work takes my breath away!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wind con\u00adtin\u00adues to blow, its leg\u00adend has no begin\u00adning and no end. All we need to do is open our eyes and hearts and con\u00adtin\u00adue on our jour\u00adney of curios\u00adi\u00adty to feel, expe\u00adri\u00adence, and praise the mir\u00ada\u00adcle of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ajia, Writ\u00adten in Bei\u00adjing on April 28, 2025<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My Thoughts on the Trans\u00adla\u00adtion of Calde\u00adcott Medal Win\u00adner Misha Archer\u2019s New Book, Wind, How Will You Blow?<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4259,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,16,12],"tags":[8,5,6,17],"class_list":["post-4252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-review","category-my-translation","category-ajia-review","tag-8","tag-5","tag-6","tag-17"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/\u98ce\u4f60\u4f1a\u600e\u4e48\u5439_Page_02.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4252"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4574,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4252\/revisions\/4574"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ajia.site\/blog\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}