Nonfiction Book Review: HURRICANES

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Simon, Seymour. 2003. HURRICANES. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0688162916

2. PLOT SUMMARY
When this book was published in 2003, scientists thought the most dangerous place to be if one of these storms struck would be New Orleans. When these storms do strike they have the ability to release the energy of ten atomic bombs every second. Australians call them willy-willies, North Pacific countries call them typhoons, countries along the Indian Ocean call them cyclones, but here in the United States, we call these types of devastating storms hurricanes.

Seymour Simon book, HURRICANES, gives it reader a logically organized overview of hurricanes. From how the storms develop and the differences in strength to what happens when a storm hits and the aftermath that follows to even giving the reader tips on what you need to do to ride a hurricane out, this book has it all. Included are mentions of some of the most destructive hurricanes that have hit the United States since it was published in 2003. Hurricanes Andrew and Floyd get their own page with pictures of destruction and the hurricane that wiped out Galveston get its own two page spread with pictures. Though this book is outdated, it would still be a great read aloud to share with children to introduce the subject matter of hurricanes and would lead to discussion of more recent hurricanes that have struck the United States.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book is very appealing to the child reader. Students will not be overwhelmed with text because each full page of text is accompanied with a full size color picture that reinforces what is being read. The text actually acts like caption for the pictures, explaining to the reader in an easy-to-read format what is occurring in the picture. The printed text is quite large and double-spaced which makes for easy reading. To further help the reader understand some of the vocabulary in the book, Simon using italics for certain words in the text and then defines them in the reading. Though this book does not have a table of contents, bibliography, or index to help readers find information, the book is very logically organized, taking readers step by step through the development, warnings, evacuations, the hurricane making landfall, and the destruction a hurricane leaves after it has passed. On the whole, children will find this book entertaining and informational at the same time.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL review: “Featuring alternating pages of clear text and outstanding graphics, this book meets Simon's usual high standards.”

BOOKLIST review: “Pairing a simply phrased narrative with arresting, eye-catching color photos, Simon explains what hurricanes are and imparts a vivid sense of their destructive potential.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*During hurricane season, introduce a unit on hurricanes by reading this book. Then using a map, track the various hurricanes that develop throughout the season. Once a hurricane strikes land, students can then research that particular hurricane, finding pictures and stories about the hurricanes effects on the community it hit.

*Research hurricanes that have hit in other countries and hurricanes that have hit in the United States. Are the storms intensity the same? Do other countries have early warning systems like in the United States? How quickly do countries recover after a storm has it? Students would work in partners to answer these types of questions and more.

*Other book about Hurricanes
Simon, Seymour. HURRICANES. ISBN: 9780061170713
Cole, Joanna. MAGIC SCHOOL BUS INSIDE THE HURRICANE. ISBN: 9780590446877
Dineen, Jacqueline. HURRICANES AND TYPHOONS. ISBN: 9781932799064