Author Nelly Buchet (Cat Dog Dog) found inspiration during the Covid-19 lockdowns in a newspaper article about a woman in Iceland who manually records the weather. The result is The Weather Keeper, a jubilant tribute to nature and those who live in concert with its dynamic forces. The inspiring text is matched by exquisite atmospheric art by author/illustrator Elizabeth Haidle (Drawing Is...).
"My mother," the book's protagonist, checks the weather conditions every three hours because "The fishermen should know,/ To stay safe in the water.../ The farmers should know,/ To plant their crops." This weather keeper's work is challenging--"Sore muscles./ Long days. Longer nights."--but she is happy on the farm with the northern lights above. The work is in her blood, as it is in the narrator, who declares that she will follow her mother and take her place as a weather keeper because "strangers, too,/ Like me, like you," should know what the weather is doing.
The rhythmic cadence of Buchet's narrative is as mesmerizing as Haidle's stark, breathtaking art. Buchet's short, concise stanzas of poetic text allow Haidle a great deal of space to depict Iceland's ravishing beauty. Haidle contrasts dark, bustling city life with bright, calming farm life and gives readers a special treat in the form of an enchanting gatefold showing the spectacle of the northern lights.
The Weather Keeper is a multilayered story of place, family, and calling, which features a gentle tone and natural landscapes. It will likely prove perfect for bedtime reading. --Jen Forbus, freelancer