Hurricane Wolf

March 1, 2006
K-Gr 3 -Hurricane Anna is approaching, and Noah -s family gets prepared. While Mom and Dad nail up the special shutters, Noah paints -Go Away Hurricane Wolf! - on his bedroom window shutter. The birdhouse and other outside items are carried inside, the tub is filled with water, and valuable papers are stored in plastic. The family makes a quick trip to the store for food and storm supplies, then settles in to track the hurricane on TV and computer. A category two storm arrives and passes by the second morning. Noah and his parents go outside to see the damage and begin to clean up. Paterson -s watercolor world is bright and tropical. Without being too scary, she presents the facts and the how and why of preparedness. While the story is similar to Corinne Demas -s "Hurricane" (Marshall Cavendish, 2000), libraries in hurricane-prone areas will want to own this title as well." -Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2006
K-Gr. 3. Noah and his parents prepare for Hurricane Anna. They put shutters on the windows, buy supplies, store important papers in waterproof containers. To Noah, Anna arrives like a wild animal ("The wind snapped and snarled. Branches scratched and clawed"), but his parents are there for him, explaining what's happening in accessible language and using analogies Jake can relate to. After the storm, the family shows concern for others as it moves on to put things right. The vibrant colors in the paintings leaven the description of the situation without minimizing the child's fear. Including suggestions for putting together a "hurricane kit," the appended material, with cartoonlike illustrations (theSaffir-Simpson Scale for measuring hurricane strength is visualized in terms of cats with increasingly mean expressions), is for adult-child sharing. An informative, child-centered approach that highlights the importance of adult-child dialogue and provides an opportunity to help children get through a scary experience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)