This is an exciting, suspenseful picture book about a tornado. The author retells her memory of braving the storm with her younger brother. The reader is forced to the edge of their seat as the two children are forced to wait in the dark cellar while their mother is outside trying to help a neighbor find shelter. In the end the reader is reassured when everyone is okay, but the damage that the tornado produces adds a whole new level of excitement.
The illustrator captures the moods and feelings of the characters and events perfectly. The beautiful muted paintings span both pages, and are filled with emotion, setting the mood for the storm. The colors are vivid and tell a story in and of themselves.
The imagery created by the author is also lovely, For instance, after the storm when the children come out of the cellar the author writes, "Hailstones sparkle like glittering diamonds and crunch under our shoes." What a strong visualization!
I'm not going to pretend like it didn't happen: I cried at the end of this book. I felt for Mama and the destruction that took place... In the end she cries. Is she thankful that everyone is okay? Is she concerned about how the damage will be repaired? Or is she just relieved that it is all over? I just don't know. At any rate, the emotion in this book seems very real.
I have never heard about this book but it seems really neat. Having survived the Iowa City tornado of '06 in one of the most damaged parts of town, I can definitely understand all of the emotions that follow such a disaster. Everyone was okay but it definitely takes a long time to recover and get everything back to normal again. I know that this doesn't have much to do with your blog, but I wanted to say that you made me really excited to go out and get this book! That probably means that your blog is serving its purpose well :) With such a great variety, I bet a lot of other people can find personal connections to your posts too!
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