Review by Booklist Review
In a thorough, thoughtful overview aimed at younger audiences, Chin gives a topic of growing concern as hurricanes increase in number and intensity. Explaining how specialists use satellite data and observations gathered by airborne "Hurricane Hunters" maintained by both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Air Force to predict hurricane sizes and courses, the text describes how the massive storms begin in the Atlantic and how their various parts and stages develop. Taking a narrower focus, Chin also draws on personal visits and interviews to describe--and depict in typically precise, detailed illustrations--how local residents of North Carolina's often-battered Hatteras Island help one another prepare for a coming hurricane, evacuate safely, and then afterward return to survey the damage and begin the cleanup. "It seems that the worst weather on Earth brings out the best in humanity," he writes, in closing appreciation of that community spirit. In the back matter, he also enlarges on the horrific damage recent hurricanes have wrought and closes with further tribute to the dedication of the meteorological community.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In impeccably crisp signature-style illustrations, Caldecott Medalist Chin opens this picture book with a series of sweeping, high-altitude images of a whirling hurricane forming over the Atlantic and heading for North Carolina's Hattaras Island. Then he zooms in on the island's inhabitants as news spreads: "It's a Category 1 storm," one child says to another. As the storm churns toward the island, reportorial text that follows the days of a week explains how forecasters observe satellite photos and measurements to predict the storm's track and intensity, and how hurricane hunters fly right through the storm to investigate. (Smaller text blocks give more detail.) Meanwhile, the community prepares, an evacuation is ordered, and the islanders cooperate throughout: "My generator won't start, can you take a look?" one queries into a phone; "Of course" is the response. When the storm hits, steady, minute-by-minute narration confers a sense of comforting predictability despite the chaos: "Branches snap. The power goes out." After the storm, spreads show the island's residents working together to tidy and repair, moments that aptly underline growing weather events as opportunities for community care. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Back matter includes a rich trove of resources. Ages 4--8. (May)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Hatteras Island off the coast of North Carolina is the scene for Chin's latest: an examination of a hurricane (based on several real ones) brilliantly told in segments alternating between actions of island residents and those of scientists. After piquing readers' interest with a dramatic cover depicting an angry sea and a line of evacuating cars, Chin defines a hurricane and describes early tracking measures by meteorologists who observe the storm. A dual countdown begins. On Monday, the storm forms off the coast of Africa and moves west across the Atlantic as residents warily continue with their daily activities. On Tuesday, scientists follow the storm's path; residents begin discussing arrangements. And so on. The climax occurs when the storm makes landfall. Short narrative descriptions and spot art depict what is happening on shore: the rising surf, the destructive winds, the calm of the eye, and the hurricane's return with its change in wind direction. And then it's over. People return to their homes and help one another with the cleanup. Chin (The Universe in You, rev. 1/23) masterfully juxtaposes the experience of people affected by the hurricane with the larger scientific context; stunning illustrations in pen and ink, watercolor, and gouache bring life to massive weather phenomena and to smaller-scale scenes. Extensive back matter adds useful details about storm formation, meteorology, and forecasting; an author's note addresses concerns about the importance of the meteorological community's work and the effects of climate change. Suggested sources for further inquiry complete this outstanding book. Betty CarterJuly/August 2025 p.110 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Caldecott Medalist Chin braids together three stories: how hurricanes form, how scientists track their potential impact, and how the people of Cape Hatteras, a barrier island off the North Carolina coast, prepare for landfall. Suspense builds as the three accounts unfold across two weeks, punctuated by daily weather reports. Readers meet meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, coastal Carolinians discussing what's to come, and the Hurricane Hunters, "an elite group of scientists and pilots who fly into hurricanes" to gather information. This robust narrative demonstrates how crucial it is for scientists and communities to work together to keep safe during natural disasters. Chin beautifully illustrates the hurricane's path as if seen from a weather satellite, capturing the blues and whites of Earth's roiling oceans. Spreads featuring carefully composed, realistic images of active beachgoers interspersed with those of working scientists sometimes include speech bubbles. Chin expertly folds in information on the tropical cyclone wind scale, forecast models, storm surges, how warm water affects hurricanes, and more, accompanied by diagrams. On one wordless page, Chin captures the eye of the storm--an eerily calm, brightly lit neighborhood filled with downed trees and drenched roads. Always attentive to detail, he sketches a recurring stray cat wandering the town, left to survive the evacuation on its own. Characters are diverse. Deeply empathetic, brilliantly illustrated, and chock-full of information. (information on hurricane science, map, further reading, selected sources, author's note)(Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
