Weather Books

Old Tattybogle stands watch in the farmers fields year after year. The rain makes drumming sounds on his hat and the snow keeps his brains warm.He feels like a king with a silver crown. One autumn day a strong wind scatters Tattybogle over the farmers field, only the stick remains firmly planted in the earth. Winter freezes the into the ground while snow falls and makes a deep carpet of white. Spring comes and the snow turns to water. The sun shines and warms the ground and the stick grows roots and then buds.More sun and the stick grows branches and reaches toward the sky. The stick (by now a full grown tree) is home to many birds and animals. The farmer comes to build a new scarecrow near old Tattybogle and all the animals say what a beautiful tree he has become. This book is filled with wonderful watercolor pictures by Ken Brown. The story is nicely told. Great for around Halloween time.

I love the "That's not my..." series from Fiona Watt. The board book is very sturdy and holds up to my sons eating and throwing them. The touchy-feely parts are very durable. My boys love snowmen so I knew this one would be perfect for them!

This is a terrific and informative book on preparing for disasters. I feel completely ready for any emergency that I may face in the future. I also thought it was informative. The author really knows what she is talking about and has obviously done a lot of research. This book should be in every family's library, so that if a disaster were to hit, we would all be ready for it.

Read this book on a nice calm day. If you need this book, it's probably too late to read it. In rough weather you are tired, wet, perhaps a little queasy, getting around the boat is dangerous and difficult. Bruce lays out clear and simple strategies for managing yourself and the boat in bad conditions. Having experienced up to force 9 myself I can heartily recommend Bruce as a guide for what to do. You can sail safely in dreadful conditions, as long as you know what you are doing.

The rich language and incredible illustrations in this book make children utter the two words all teachers and parents want to hear--"Read it again!". The House-that-Jack-built pattern allows children to quickly join in and feel comfortable with the book. As a kindergarten teacher and educational consultant, I look for picture books which allow an instant connection with children and This Is The Rain is a beautiful addition to my collection.

I started with this book in the hope to learn more about my own grandfather's service in the 2nd Weather Recon Squadron during WWII. I discovered that plus more on the leaders of the USAAF like Hap Arnold, Curtis LeMay, Richard Ellsworth and even his squadrons CO James Baker. This is the definitive look at the weather service's military beginnings, future and personnel. Even if "weather" does not exist in your understanding of how the military works, this will be an enjoyable read. The inner conflict within the AAF and Army is touched upon and each 20th Century conflict and the imporatance each laid upon Weather forcasts. D-Day was give the go by Gen Eisenhower based upon a weatherman. Why read this? If you love WWII, if you love the Air Force and if you are a current member of the Armed Forces.

Kids in grades 1-3 will enjoy this set of simple yet entertaining facts about tidal waves: from underwater volcanic action to tidal action and ocean problems, this packs in details about tidal waves and their effects on human habitation with over 30 pages including a glossary and bright photos set against black pages.

This novel, a sort-of sequel to THE HOPE VALLEY HUBCAP KING, is funny, magical, and wise. The setting is a world different from our own, yet oh so familiar. Contains delightful wordplay and a host of liminal characters who set out to save the world from the humorousless, the greedy, & the obssessive monoculturalists.

"You haven't had a major tornado in over three years? Aren't you about due for a big one?" Aaron asked.

Mr. Black looked amused. "Well, son, you just might be right," he answered. "Some folks call Cottonwood `Tornado Alley,' so maybe we are overdue."

Then Mr. Black looked frightened. "Wait a minute. Aren't you the famous Barclay family? Whose trips always end in disaster?" After Aaron nodded, Mr. Black shuddered involuntarily, mumbled something about making sure that his tornado shelter was well stocked, and hurried away.

OK, I made up that last part, but regular readers know what to expect when the Barclay family is on the scene!

"But I don't think there's anything to worry about. We get tornado warnings a lot around here. But we don't get many tornadoes."

I don't know about you, but I'M betting that SOMETIME during this adventure, they WILL!

Ed Hanson and Saddleback Educational Publishing have come up with a brilliant concept for solving a very serious problem: the great decline in reading among today's students. Their solution? Put out readers that are essentially suspense-filled or mystery-filled juvenile series books like the famous Tom Swift, Nancy Drew, and Hardy Boys series of old.

This confronts both of the major problems with more traditional readers: if they are not mind-numbingly dull, they are excruciatingly didactic, cramming some important "teachings" whether moral, religious, or (these days) politically correct down the throats of children so hard as to turn them off of reading for good.

In this volume Ed Hanson delivers another good outing. Besides giving us a suspenseful story of tornado survival, we get to see Aaron discover girls!

Plus, for what they are intended to be, reading textbooks, they are wonderful. The fact that children who learn to read better and to love reading from these books may still find them skimpy fare for pleasure reading is not entirely bad, assuming their teachers quickly move them on to bigger and better things in the school library or the bookstore if necessary.

The previous book in the series is Mountain Blizzard (Barclay Family Adventure Ser., Bk. 7), and the next book in the series is The Pass (Barclay Family Adventure Ser., Bk. 9).

This is a great little book for young minds. My 3 1/2 year old is suddenly fascinated with tornadoes and this book describes them very well. The author definitely explains things in child's terms and has a glossary in the back for larger terms used. THe pictures were great, too! I would recommend this to anyone especially young children. There are 7 other titles in the series also. Great price as well.