storms

Review: Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

| Tasha

big snow

Big Snow by Jonathan Bean

It is very hard to wait for the snow to come, as David discovers in this picture book perfect for the snowy season.  David is waiting for the snow to start, so he helps his mother bake cookies.  But then the flour reminds him of the snow so he heads out to check on it.  It’s fine and dusty in the air.  He heads back inside and helps clean the bathroom, but then is reminded of snow from the bubbles.  When he checks, there is more snow but it’s still light.  He helps his mother change sheets and is reminded of snow blanketing the ground, when he checks outside that’s exactly what the snow is doing!  Then it’s naptime, and David dreams of snow, lots and lots of snow.  Will his dream come true?

Bean creates a book not only about waiting for a big snow, but also about the different types of snow that arrive in the course of a storm.  It is a wonderful tribute to loving snow and wintry weather and hoping for the white to cover the barren landscape.  Bean cleverly ties in David’s reminders of snow with the level of snow outdoors.  Children will immediately get the connection and will enjoy watching the storm outside progress.

Bean varies the illustrations from close ups of David helping his mother and their cozy home interiors to distance images of their home and neighborhood as it transforms under the snow.  One can see the magic of snow happening firsthand.  I also love the humor of David disappearing to check on the snow, only the end of his scarf still in the room.  And bravo for Bean creating a family of color in a book that doesn’t have anything to do with race.

Even with the icy temperatures outside, this is a book that will get everyone looking forward to the next big snow.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Farrar Straus Giroux.

Review: Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert

| Tasha

thunderstorm

Thunderstorm by Arthur Geisert

Geisert leaves behind his signature little pigs and instead tells the story of a storm rolling through the Midwest.  Follow the course of a red truck filled with sacks and bales of hay as they race the storm to get unloaded in a variety of places.  As the sky darkens, readers also get a glimpse of animal life both above and below ground.  The wind stirs and then roars, a funnel cloud forms and threatens destruction until the wind lowers and the sky clears and it is time to start cleaning up. 

Geisert tells his story with the only words being timestamps below some of the images.  His art is filled with details that make one linger and wonder.  He changes lighting and feeling with tightness of line and colors.  What is most fascinating about the book is that all of the illustrations fit together into one long illustration without any breaks.  It makes me wish that the book unfolded so that I could see it as one long line, but it is very interesting to look at the book in a new way, viewing it differently on a second reading. 

This is a celebration of the power of nature and the way that light changes through the course of a storm.  Geisert mixes in plenty of action and the tension of a family at risk.  Appropriate for ages 4-7.

Reviewed from copy received from Enchanted Lion Books.

Book Review: A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg

| Tasha

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A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg, illustrated by Colin Bootman

This is the heartfelt fictional story of Louis, a 10-year-old boy living in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits.  When the storm hits, no one is really worried, until it worsens.  Then there is no time for the family to gather any belongings except Louis’ horn.  When they leave their home, they find a piece of porch floating and Louis and his mother climb aboard.  His father pushes the porch with them safely on top.  On the way, they saw disturbing things: a dog they are unable to rescue and a body floating by.  When they finally got out of the deeper water, they headed for the Superdome with the rest of the crowd.  His father went in search of food and water, leaving Louis and his mother in the seats.  But when some people got rowdy, they moved to a safer part of the Superdome.  The question becomes how will they ever find Louis’ father again?

Beautifully written and illustrated, this book bring images from the flood to life.  Uhlberg manages to write in an unflinching and honest way, while still keeping his young audience clearly in mind.  There are difficult issues here, but they are presented in a way that can be glossed past or more deeply explored.  Uhlberg also manages to build moods very skillfully from the storm itself to the days of waiting in the Superdome, there is a constant sense of hope.

Bootman’s artwork is exceptional.  He evokes fear, concern, but above all love and hope in his images.  The paintings play light against dark throughout, until the climax of the theme at the end of the book. 

A personal and powerful look at the impact of Hurricane Katrina, this book would work well in a classroom setting and for any child wanting to learn more about the hurricane.  Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from copy received from Peachtree Publishers.

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The Big Storm

| Tasha

The Big Storm: A Very Soggy Counting Book by Nancy Tafuri

As the storm starts to blow, animals take shelter in the hill hollow.  Young readers will get to count one-by-one as the animals squeeze in together and out of the rain.  The thunder rumbles over their heads, but they soon realize that they are hearing another rumble that is coming from the back of the cave.  Readers then get to quickly count backwards from 10 to 1 as the animals run out into the newly sunny fall day.

Tafuri excels at creating concept books for the youngest of readers that are filled with great art and a basic story with a fun twist.  Her art is done in concentrated watercolor inks, pigma micron pens, and watercolor pencils.  There is a great depth to the colors paired with a delicacy of line.  The animals are all bright-eyed and friendly with the drama of the story coming from the storm and the discovery in the back of the cave!  Tafuri’s pacing is perfect for the twist with steady counting leading up to 10 animals, a reveling of the storm, and then the reveal. 

A perfect choice for stormy toddler story times, autumn reading, and a nice addition to so many specific animals story times thanks to the rabbit, squirrel, skunk and more.  Appropriate for ages 1-4.

Reviewed from copy received from publisher.

Thunder-Boomer!

| Tasha

Thunder-Boomer by Shutta Crum, illustrated by Carol Thompson.

This picture book starts with a hot summer day, filled with tractors plowing, no breeze, and a panting dog.  Then a small breeze comes, bringing with it dark threatening clouds.  The family runs to get the laundry off the line and the chickens in the hen house.  Then with a rumble of thunder, the rain comes. Dad is forced back into the storm to rescue one wayward chicken.  As the storm worsens, the wind blows, the lightning crackles and the thunder – Booms!  Everyone in the house, including the chicken.  After a bout of hail, the sun returns and Maizie, the chicken, heads off alone again.  When the little girl checks on her, she gets a surprise.

This picture book perfectly captures the power of a big thunderstorm, the wonder of the wind, the dance of hail, and then that amazing clearing afterwards.  One can almost hear the tentative birdsong and the dripping afterwards.  Filled with sound words, young readers will enjoy making noises but soon will be caught up in the drama of the storm.  Thompson’s illustrations are lively and dramatic, offering both smaller detailed pictures and larger images that capture the action.  The engaging inclusion of a lost pair of Dad’s underwear in the storm helps to keep the storm from being too powerful for young children. 

Appropriate for ages 4-6, this book is a great summer book to share.  It reads aloud well, just make sure to leave time for plenty of putt-putting tractors, booms of thunder, and clucking chickens in the audience.