Inside Hurricanes by Mary Kay Carson is part of the Inside Series published by Sterling. These middle grade books come with ten fold out pages for extra big looks at the topic.
With hurricane season well under way, children are likely to be curious about these enormous weather systems. Readers soon learn that as Carson says, “Hurricanes are disasters that have called ahead to say they’re coming.”
Incorporating history and science, the author explains how hurricanes happen, what we know about them, and how they effect people. Scattered throughout are “I was there!” sidebars about real life experiences with hurricanes, which help children relate to these hard to imagine events.
The illustrations and photographs in the book are just plain amazing. Satellite images of hurricanes, photographs of trees bent in the wind, and photographs of the damage afterward will blow you away. Hurricanes are huge events and the photographs help give it scale and capture the destructive energy.
Inside Hurricanes has hands-on activities sprinkled throughout, including making a simple barometer, assembling a preparedness kit, and recording interviews of people who have lived through disasters.
If you are looking for an interesting and current look at hurricanes, this book is well worth consideration.
You know how much I enjoy hands-on activities. That’s why I have a related activity looking at how differently shaped buildings react to high winds at Growing With Science.
More about Inside Hurricanes:
Series: Inside Series
Publisher: Sterling
Published: October 2010
Age range: from 8 to 12
48 pages
ISBN: 1-4027-7780-9
ISBN13: 9781402777806
This book was provided for review.