Monday, July 13, 2020

Little Cloud: The science of a hurricane by Johanna Wagstaffe and Julie McLaughlin

The "story" begins with a page of clouds, each with their scientific name, and each also sporting a cheerful smile (except cumulonimbus) and our hero, the cumulus cloud, waving a hand.

The story of the little cloud who wants to be a hurricane is told in simple and friendly language, while the colorful cartoon illustrations and captions explain the science. The cloud starts off the coast of Africa, journeys across the ocean, becomes a tropical depression, and eventually a hurricane named Nate. Readers will learn about the science behind a hurricane as they follow the story of people getting ready for his arrival. Eventually, Nate is slowed down by the mountains along the coast and weakened so fortunately there is little to no damage when he hits and he has turned back into a tropical depression.

There is a page of facts and information about historical hurricanes, meteorologists, and more. There is an author's note from Johanna Wagstaffe, a meteorologist and reporter, emphasizing how people can stay safe in a storm.

I get a lot of requests for extreme weather nonfiction, even though the effect of the lakes in our area means that most storms go around us! The worst we get is occasional flooding and now and then a tornado. This is very informative and explains the formation of a hurricane in simple terms. The cartoon illustrations and rather silly narration feels a bit off - I don't think I'd purchase this in an area where people actually feel the effects of hurricanes.

Verdict: A good choice for young kids who want to learn about how hurricanes work but don't have any personal experience with them.

ISBN: 9781459821842; Published February 2020 by Orca; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library

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