Hurricane!

by Jonathan London, Henri Sorensen (Illustrator)

Overview

"The power, danger, and excitement of a hurricane are brought to life in this picture book." (School Library Journal)

Told from the perspective of a boy who witnesses the sky growing ominously purple and rushes to evacuate with his family, Hurricane! is set in Puerto Rico and based on a childhood experience of the author's.

The family huddles together in a shelter while the winds howl. They and their neighbors take solace from gently singing "Silent Night" while waiting out the storm.

The you-are-there immediacy of this picture book, which ends with the family back home on a gorgeous sunny day, allows children to safely experience the drama of surviving a hurricane.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780688129774
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/19/1998
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.25(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.25(d)
Lexile:	AD460L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jonathan London, who lives in Graton, California, prefers sandals to shoes, but he knows that nothing beats socks for dancing. When he's ready to put the extra slip in his slide, he kicks off his flip-flops and puts on some tube socks. When Jonathon isn't a sensation on the dance floor, he is a rage on the page with over forty books for children to his credit, including Froggy Gets Dressed, Hip Cat, Like Butter on Pancakes, and Puddles. He lives with his wife and two sons.

Henri Sorensen is the illustrator of I Love You As Much . . . , also by Laura Krauss Melmed; Wishes for You by Tobi Tobias; and The Gift of the Tree by Alvin Tresselt. He lives in Denmark with his wife and two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

A boy and his family witness an awe-inspiring storm in this exhilarating picture book account. The narrator and his brother begin the day like any other--they scramble down the cliff near their Puerto Rico home and go snorkeling. As they explore the coral reef, the boys don't know the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Once up for air, they see an ominous purple sky and quickly head for home. The family hastily grabs some belongings and gathers the dog, then drives through the wind and water to a nearby shelter. There they crowd together with neighbors and gently sing verses of "Silent Night" as the hurricane roars and crashes, threatening to collapse the building. The storm eventually passes and, happily, leaves little destruction in its wake. Based on London's (The Candystore Man, reviewed above) recollection of a childhood experience, this suspenseful tale has a "you are there" immediacy. Poetic descriptions of hammering winds, crashing waves and lightning which "scribbled on the dark clouds" eloquently capture the beauty and violence of severe weather. Sorensen's (I Love You as Much) slightly hazy oil paintings move suddenly from sunny island blues and greens to chillingly dark grays. Several changes of scenery demonstrate the artist's skill at depicting varying types of light and shadow, from soft morning sun to dim kerosene lamplight. The current popularity of weather topics-El Nino and natural disasters, especially-also makes this a timely volume. Ages 5-up. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly