Hurricane Wolf by Diane Paterson

32 p., Whitman, 2006. A hurricane is scary, but with help from their parents, children can cope. Noah copes with a hurricane by drawing, verbalizing his feelings (likening the hurricane to a big, bad wolf, shouting at it to go away), helping his parents prepare their house, asking them for information, tracking the hurricane with his parents on the computer and TV, and turning his flashlight on sometimes to reassure his cat and dog. The story shows the family’s preparations and follows the hurricane’s progress over the house. Noah’s parents give helpful, reassuring, age-appropriate answers to his questions; for example, when he asks where birds go during hurricanes, his mother replies, “’They know what to do. Some find safe spots nearby and some fly far away.’”Afterward, Mom reassures Noah that the trees and plants that were damaged will grow back, and they can fix other things. As the story ends, Noah is helping to restore the house to its pre-hurricane state. An informational afterword gives facts about hurricanes and explains how to be safe. Illustrated with vibrant, expressive watercolors, this story offers information, reassurance, and ways to cope with this disaster. Ages 5-9

Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival by Kirby Larson and Mary Nethery

Illustrated by Jean Cassels.32 p., Walker, 2008. In times of disaster, friendship can mean survival. Bobbi the dog Bob Cat are best friends who live in New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina strikes, they are left behind, Bobbi chained to the porch. Bob Cat says with Bobbi, first at their house, and then in the streets, when Bobbi breaks free. After four months, they wander onto a construction site, and a worker who has a dog at the site begins to feed them. Whenever he tries to touch Bob Cat, Bobbi growls protectively. After a week, his supervisor will no longer allow the Two Bobbies on the site, and so the worker takes them to a shelter. At first, they are housed separately their, but Bobbi howls and barks until they're placed in the same room. The shelter volunteers make a startling discovery - Bob Cat is blind. He probably would not have survived without Bobbi's protection, and his friendship may have strengthened Bobbi's determination. Unable to find the Bobbies' family in spite of their best efforts, the shelter staff finds a loving adoptive family where Bobbi and Bob Cat live happily together with a human and another dog. With its gentle, earth-toned, gouache illustrations, this story is full of hope. Ages 4-8

Hurricane by David Wiesner

32 p., Clarion, 1990. When a tree falls during a hurricane, it becomes the scene of diverse, exciting adventures for two young brothers. George is in his early school years, and David is preschool age. When the tree is cut up and hauled away, they half-hope that another tree will fall during the next storm. The watercolor illustrations use light and shadow effectively to show the moods of the storm, its aftermath, and the imaginary worlds of the tree. This story shows children a way to use imagination to create hope out of a scary situation. Ages 3-8

Hurricane! by Jonathan London

Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. 32 p., Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1998.

A boy and his brother, who live in Puerto Rico, go snorkeling on an ordinary day, when a hurricane comes suddenly. The children, their parents, and their dog hurry in their car to a shelter. The hurricane shatters a window of the shelter. People sing "Silent Night" together, because it "made us feel better." When the storm is over, the family goes home, and finds their house still standing, although there is debris from trees. The boy feels that little has changed. The next day, he and his brother run to play at the beach again - everything is all right. This story shows that even in a disaster, there is a way to be safe, and the disaster will pass.

Ages 5-8
Main character's cultural background: European American
Cultural context: multicultural