• Featured in MOSAIC 2007, an annual multicultural literature exhibit hosted by Lincoln (NE) Public Schools Library Media Services. The exhibit featured the best and most current multicultural titles from 2006-2007.
• A Sydney Taylor Honor Book for Younger Readers.
• Included in the 2008 edition of The Best Children’s Books of the Year, an annotated bibliography from the Children’s Book Committee of Bank Street College of Education in New York City.

 "More than a holiday folktale, this one brings out the significance of graceful benevolence and humble appreciation."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"The book will be a fine choice for a holiday read-aloud for young children; it will also be welcomed by older readers, who may recognize some of the other Jewish themes Lamstein skillfully weaves into the story."
     —Booklist

"Well-written. ...Nicely formatted spreads feature the illustrator’s signature palette of blues, purples, and black, with splashes of color in the villagers’ garb."
     —School Library Journal

"This gentle story is perfectly complemented by the graceful watercolors that illustrate the text. The illustrations have an Asian flavor, and many of the pictures with their subdued colors evoke the feeling of movement. This small gem will be an excellent addition to holiday collections."
     —Library Media Connection


Show All Reviews

 "More than a holiday folktale, this one brings out the significance of graceful benevolence and humble appreciation."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"The book will be a fine choice for a holiday read-aloud for young children; it will also be welcomed by older readers, who may recognize some of the other Jewish themes Lamstein skillfully weaves into the story."
     —Booklist

"Well-written. ...Nicely formatted spreads feature the illustrator’s signature palette of blues, purples, and black, with splashes of color in the villagers’ garb."
     —School Library Journal

"This gentle story is perfectly complemented by the graceful watercolors that illustrate the text. The illustrations have an Asian flavor, and many of the pictures with their subdued colors evoke the feeling of movement. This small gem will be an excellent addition to holiday collections."
     —Library Media Connection

"Lamstein polishes up timeless motifs about the mysterious ways of God in this dexterous retelling of a folktale from the Middle East. ...Using the frames and panels characteristic of his compositions, Waldman gracefully evokes deserts, weathered Middle Eastern villages hugging barren mountainsides, and trees bending under the weight of thick, curving clouds. He also throws in anthropomorphized cottages with face-like features that move from dejected to glad expressions as the story concludes, injecting a discordant note into settings that otherwise heighten the humanity and organic spirituality of the tale."
     —Publishers Weekly

"[W]hile children of any faith will enjoy the tale, there's also a sophisticated message [in Lamstein's storybook] about the nature of community that adults will pick up."
     —Read the Spirit (Online Blog)

"Don't judge Sarah Marwil Lamstein's Letter on the Wind by its foreboding cover, which depicts a full moon in a dark sky. Inside, the illustrations by Neil Waldman are far livelier, and Lamstein's story about faith, a winner."
     —Miami Herald

"Lamstein's lyrical retelling of a Jewish folktale is matched by Neil Waldman's evocative artwork."
     —Detroit News