Hurricane rescue

Gr 1--3--Leela, Jaden, and their parents travel around the country in an RV helping people and animals prepare for natural disasters in this new series from Scholastic. Dad Lamar is an award-winning doctor who helps people all over the world, while Mom Jaya is a famous journalist who takes pictures and writes articles about the disasters. Leela and Jaden help the animals who are in danger. In each of these exciting tales, the family, or Disaster Squad, heads to a different location facing a new challenge: In Texas, they drive right into a hurricane where they help out at shelters and rescue a baby dolphin; in Minnesota they help their grandmother and her community prepare for a blizzard, keep the baby calves warm at a cattle farm, and rescue a snowshoe rabbit stuck in the snow. These black-and-white illustrated tales are chock-full of educational tidbits that readers will learn along with Leela and Jaden. Everything from weather facts to emergency procedures to animal behavior and habitats make an appearance. New readers will appreciate the short chapters and level-appropriate sentences. VERDICT Recommended for purchase where other Branches books go out frequently.