Weather Books

Dori Chaconas never disappoints with her thoughtful and poignant stories. This one especially fits the bill! A tremendous and loving story between parent and child that is timeless. Her poetic rhythmic writing is enough to warm any heart on a cold winter's day.

What a lovely book to share with a young child! The warmth and love shared between the father and daughter come through in both the lilting language and rich illustrations. A perfect gift, especially for families who either live in snowy places or wish they did.

If there is anybody ever left out of the baby shower process it's Papa. In fact, all to often we don't think of fathers being involved emotionally with infants, especially girls. That's one of the reasons this book is so spectacular. This is a special text with special illustrations about a father and his baby girl, exploring the world together On a Wintry Morning. They bundle up and head out on a white, crisp day, to follow bunny trails, make snow angles, take a sleigh ride, and even buy a new pup. The book comes full circle with daddy and daughter back home, cozy, dozy and warm.

The illustrations are soft and wondrous, with obvious emotional investment by the artist. The text is seamless--a lilting, musical lullaby. Look for this book to win awards. But most importantly watch it win hearts. A perfect book for fathers everywhere, to encourage and validate father/child relationships. If you're off to a baby shower for a special couple with a new baby girl, wrap this book up and include it in your gift. You won't be sorry. It's a treasure to pass on from generation to generation.

This is the most beautiful picture book I've seen in a long time. Each illustration is truly a work of art. The short verses sound effortless and perfect, and celebrate the simple joys of life and family. The picture of the little girl investigating bunny tracks, and of daddy and baby snuggled for a nap, will be reassuringly familiar to any young child who sees them, and will tug at the heartstrings of adults. This would be a wonderful gift for any new parent, especially fathers.

The art, by Caldecott winning Stephen Johnson is fabulous. The text, written by Dori Chaconas, sings! The art and text together are a perfectly paired feast for the eyes and ears. Children will love repeating the lyrical phrases. Adults will love how Johnson captures the special relationship between a father and his baby daughter as they spend a day in the snow. The ending, when the father tucks his little girl in for a nap is absolutely precious! A great gift for every daddy and daughter. Also makes a wonderful baby shower gift. I plan to give this right alongside Goodnight Moon. Lovely!

This product is same as described in purchase. Delivery was very quickly and good conditions. I recommend this product and provider. Sincerely. Jose Pena

This book is for the weather novice who doesn't want to get a PhD in meteorology, but still wants to stay out of trouble. While most of the information about thunderstorms is available elsewhere, his section on icing was particularly valuable. I would recommend this to any pilot who seems lost about weather reports or charts. If you know your way around surface analysis charts and lifted index charts then this book might be too simple for you.

For all pilots! I purchased this book over ten years ago and I try to reread it each spring. This book condenses need to know information into useable "bites," and makes weather interesting and understandable. You will learn things about temperature dew point relationships and many other aspects of weather and weather flying that you may never hear any other place. If you are looking for a book that will better prepare you for the dynamics of weather flying, this is one of the very best.

This is a must read book for any pilot who does serious weather flying. Dennis takes the mumbo jumbo and puts it in terms that are very easy to understand. With thirty two years of flying under my belt, this is the only book that makes practical sense of very technical issues.

Good detail, personal tips & hints that I haven't seen in any other text. Although it is US orientated, it contains a wealth of interesting information.

In "Watching Weather," Tom Murphree, Ph.D. and Mark K. Miller hit a home run! They've succeeded where many scientific writers have failed; Murphree and Miller were able to translate this complex subject, i.e., atmospheric dynamics, into plain English. As an operational meteorologist and educator, I highly recommend this book. A must buy!

Mary K. Miller and Tom Murphree explain the science of weather in easily understood terms and concepts. There's nothing "accidental" about these scientists. Everyone who ever had a picnic ruined by a sudden rain storm should read this book.

Tom Murphree and Mary Miller have explained the facts about weather in an easy-to-read text with everyday applications addressed. This meteorological book would be beneficial to middle school through adult ages. The book encourages you to watch the weather daily and try your hand at being your own local weather forecaster.

"Watching Weather" is a wonderful introduction to weather. The authors explain the basics and build on it to cover "el Niño" and other contemporary events. The book is well designed with clear graphics and interesting sidebars. The "Rules of Thumb" are particularly helpful in gauging the weather in your everyday life. The book ends on a strong note with a sobering, but not hysterical, discussion of the Greenhouse Effect. This comes after an engrossing look at past global warmings and ice ages. The hothouse world of the dinosaurs and the glacial planet of the cavemen give you some sort of reference for modern changes. "Watching Weather" is a quick and entertaining primer if you want to start learning more about weather.

Tom Murphree and Mary Miller lay out valuable weather concepts in easy to understand terms. In fact, I've read several weather books and this rates at the top for ease of understanding, flow and entertainment...yes it's entertaining!

The graphics are very nice as well. They give it a "personally drawn" look!

Anyone in meteorology, or just wondering about weather should have this book on their shelf!

My daughter received this book as a gift on her first birthday. The illustrations are beautiful, but because she is so young, and we want to preserve the book, we mostly listen to the music with her. My wife holds my daughter and dances around the room to the sweet and happy melodies. When she sets her down my daughter makes the sign for "more more more"! Once the music begins, she laughs and reaches up, wanting to start all over again.

The music is not overly "classical", nor is it annoyingly childish. It is just wonderfully simple and can be enjoyed by anyone at any time.

absolute gem!!! wordless story told in pictures and original musical score- everyone should enjoy this book

A very pleasant book. Great to use on a rainy day with the music. The illustrations give a sense of constant motion and are complemented by the fast tempo music. The pictures have a strong correlation between shape, size, and environment, with everything seeming very deliberate. A great medium and angle to depict the journey to school. All the different umbrellas seem to have their own characteristics and throughout the book you are left to wonder who is under the umbrella and where are they going. Beautifully illustrated!! Should be read with the music.

... so much so that I chose to review it. It is an atypical "counting" book... one in which a certain object, in this case -- umbrellas, is added to each page. But the twist is that a CD comes with this book. The CD has various cuts of original piano music. Each cut wonderfully reflects the setting of the given page. On one page, as the umbrellas cross over a bridge, you can hear the plink-plink of the raindrops on the water below. On another page, you can hear an approaching train as the pianist speeds up his delivery of original music. The artwork is beautiful, with a subdued rainy palette used for backgrounds. Only the umbrellas themselves are vibrantly depicted. It's only at the end of the book in which we actually get a glimpse of the people (children) carrying the umbrellas, and even on that page, one only sees their legs. My two sons enjoyed trying to guess who might be carrying the umbrellas and where they might be going. My 9-year-old said, "Wouldn't it be funny if they turned out to be monsters!" Monsters notwithstanding, the audio-visual combination makes for a wonderful experience just before dropping off to sleep.

My daughters (3 and 5) received the book from their Aunt. The first night we popped the CD in and slowly turned the pages...I watched their eyes as we went page by page and saw smiles come and go throughout the book. The fact that there are no words makes us slow down, mingle music with imagination and every now and then we make up our own words - sprinkled here and there among the raindrops - to take the story in new directions whenever we choose.

Now...the CD player in the car brings the pictures back to the girls as we travel down to Rhode Island to visit family. Fabulous choice - thanks Aunt Betty and Uncle Duck.

This is probably going to sound strange, but there is a sweetness to Monica Wellington's simple book that makes me feel as if it were written and illustrated with an abundance of care and love - which makes it that much easier for me to lovingly read and share the book with my baby.

Bunny's Rainbow Day goes from a brilliant dawn to perhaps an afternoon shower and ends, of course, with a rainbow. The cut-out illustrations on each two-page spread are bright and bold, friendly with a touch of funky. Each illustration repeats four elements - a white bunny, rainbow-colored bird, blue butterfly, and red lad bug - which lend themselves for pointing games ("Where's the butterfly?" or "Show me the bunny.") The sparse words are full of imagery ("morning sparkles") and alliteration "plip plop splash") that have a fun, gentle cadence.

My one complaint, and it's a minor one, is that the pages are too long for my baby to hold the book easily (which she likes doing). I imagine she'll outgrow this problem before too long, though.

My daughter loved this book. We started reading it to her when she was about 6 months old. The combination of bright colors, distinctive pictures, cute animals and rhythmic words ensured that this was a hit with her. She would demand that we read this book to her multiple times a day. As she got older, we found that the book was good for "can you point to the bunny" and "who is that" type games. Now that my daughter is 2 1/2, she has pretty much outgrown the book--she wants books with more of a story. However, if you have a small child between the ages of 6 months and 2 years, I would strongly recommend this book for you.

My year-old son and I loved Bunny's First Snowflake. We have read that sooo many times and I went looking for more in the series. Amazon was out of print for Rainbow Day, but I bought from one of their resellers, with great results.

This book is cleverly written, just like Snowflake, the text is suggestive of sounds... woosh, rustle, etc. I'd say I like the illustrations in Snowflake a teensy bit better, but Rainbow day has lots more bright colors and action.

Recommend highly!

Our 11 month old loves this book. The bold colors and rhythmic text are appealing both to her and to her parents! We read to her several times a day, so it's great to find a book that we can stand to read over and over again...

My daughter loves this book! The bright colors and animals keep her attention! Excellent for infants and toddlers!

This book is really beautiful the scenes are like a gentle lullaby and to boot its educational I recommend all Thomas Lockers books!

My students loved this author and his illustrations. I have since bought more of his books. An excellent book to read to a class.

Thomas Locker creates an interesting way to learn about clouds in this beautifully illustrated book. As the reader turns the pages of this book, they encounter numerous types of clouds. The first illustration shows the many different sizes and shapes clouds can assume, from the light and wispy cirrus cloud to the puffy cumulus cloud. With each turn of the page, clouds are seen in different seasons and times of day, under various weather conditions. The illustrations are eye appealing oil paintings. As you view each picture, it is like you are standing on the ground and seeing the vast sky with the clouds creating a mosaic of lights, shapes, and colors. You can almost feel the rain hitting your face when you look at the painting depicting clouds in a rain storm. The painting of the clouds that "shimmer in the moonlight" gives the reader a sense of calm. Each painting in this book causes the reader to feel some emotion--from the suppressed anger of a developing thunderstorm to the warm peace of a sunset. At the end of the book the author includes factual information about clouds. The scientific names are given for all the clouds along with a description. Answers are also given for such questions as "How are clouds formed?" and "How high does the sky reach?" This book would be a good way to introduce a science unit on clouds and weather. The illustrations would stimulate a student's imagination and could be a starting point for them to begin thinking about what clouds look like at different times and in a variety of conditions. Cloud Dance would be a valuable addition to anyone's library.

This is an absolutely beautiful book. I am an art teacher attempting to integrate the visual arts and science. This book came highly recommended by a school librarian and I am so grateful for her direction. I will definitely share the book with my students.

I, Smith T. Aames, have a secret. I was not always Smith T. Aames. Nay, I was raised an indigenous person. My original family was a small tribe of Native Americans called the Hopi, centered in Arizona. When I was a Hopi, my job was to gather succulent weeds and grasses for the tribe to eat. I think this early job was responsible for my interest in having dogs--I mean, it's very similar how I go about Washington, D.C. collecting roadkill and abandoned housecats for my dogs to feast upon. Just the other day I was able to capture an injured squirrel for my Pomeranian, PomPom P. Aames. PomPom really enjoyed the tasty, tender squirrel meat, although she did get some blood on my lovely white couch. I actually discovered a great upholstery cleaner as a result of this incident, but that is another review.

So anyway, I grew up a Hopi youth, clad in leather tunics made from the hides of the bison and dodo we hunted for sustenance. I eventually left the reservation at the age of 21 for the big city. There I learned to read, write, and make frantic love to beings of all types. After leaving the lovely arid mesas of Arizona, I began to miss many things from my youth. I would remember the beautiful Native American women lolling about the reservation, the euphoric highs I got from chewing on peyote and other plants, and the occasional visits of Kevin Costner so that he could observe our way of life for his epic movie. When I found this book, Cloud Dance, I knew I had found a way to recapture my youth--my former self, Barks-With-The-Hounds Aames.

As an original member of the 53rd Weather Recon. Sqdn of the USAAC and who has flown in B-17's & B-29's into Hurricanes in the early 1940's, I felt alive as I read Kerry's Divine Wind. I have complimented Kerry on this excellent work that covers History, Poetry and Science. This book is a must for everyone, particularly those living on the Eastern Seaboard of the USA. All of us living on Planet Earth need to know about the forces of nature and Divine Wind educates us about Hurricanes--Thanks to the expertise of Kerry Emanuel!

This book is subtitled "The History and Science of Hurricanes." Exactly.
I bought it to learn more about the natural processes that produce hurricanes, and the science that "explains" them. I got everything that I hoped for, and more.
This is a nicely written description of science for the non-scientist, but not dumbed down or patronizing. I also got social history, not a topic I had been looking for, but which I enjoyed; it added yet another dimension to this outstanding presentation.
10 stars for this book.
I am about to buy a second copy, for a friend in Florida.

Rarely has a book come out in so timely a fashion. And to match the timeliness, rarely has a book had such an excellent match of science and history.

The book gives a series of historical stories beginning with the Kamikaze storms that saved Japan from the Mongol invasions in 1274 and 1281. He continues with numerous stories from the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico including incidents beginning with Columbus and continuing until recent times. Two particularily interesting chapters dealt with the 1945 typhoons that did more damage to Admiral Halsey's fleet than the Japanese, and then the chapter on flying airplanes into the eye fo the storms.

From the scientific standpoint he presents numerous chapters on every aspect from general descriptions to explaining terms used by the weather forcasters such as wind shear. At the conclusion you'll understand what's happening much better.

And to prove just how good forecasting has become, the forecast at the beginning of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season 15 named tropical storms and eight hurricanes were predicted. By November 1, 2005 there have been 23 named storms...with 13 becoming hurricanes and 7 becoming major hurricanes.

While it is true that the Amazon rating system only goes to 5, this excellent book should get a 10!! I've read/own most of the hurricane books written and this is absolutely one of the best.

The rare artwork, clear illustrations, historical treatment and cutting-edge science make this a book that should be in your library.

Being a Hurricane Katrina victim I found this book to be quite informative and interesting. The scientific aspect of it is a bit technical, but it related to my current Biology course and it's always nice to come across a real-world application of something you're studying in class. I've also discovered some interesting facts regarding the history of hurricanes, although I was a little disappointed to find there was practically nothing about the Last Island Hurricane which, to my surprise, is a piece of history that has been largely ignored.

The author explains in very clear language the complicated El Nino phenomenon and its far-reaching ecological, social, economic and political impacts during the last few centuries. The book is an excellent example of how an interdisciplinary approach can shed light on a complex oceanic-meteorological event and its ramifications throughout the world and human history. The author weaves meteorology, oceanography, history, economics, ecology, and political and social sciences in to a rich account of the history of El Nino. The book is founded on thorough scientific research, yet completely comprehensible for a lay person like me. The clear style of writing kept my attention to the last page. The numerous illustrations and graphs are very effective and helpful. Anybody who is interested in El Nino and its impact on human events will find this a very insightful book.

This book, written by Dr. Cesar Caviedes about the historical implications of El Niño, is an excellent source of information and also a valuable teaching tool for undergraduate teaching. I have used the first chapter to explain to the students of an introductory Environmental Science course at Georgetown University the basic oceanic and meteorological processes that are involved and explain El Niño events with great success. The book does not only offer clear explanations, but it also is rich in appropriate illustrations that further clarify the intricate concepts. The book is written in a very engaging and creative manner reflecting in my opinion Dr. Caviedes' expertise in this subject and also his qualities as a teacher.
A work like this entices the reader to look at history with a new and different perspective, a history which is much more intertwined with climatic events than we may have assumed. The discovery of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the failure of the Napoleon campaign in Russia and the defeat of the German Army at Stalingrad during the Second World War, are telling examples that attest to the importance of environmental circumstances in the outcome of some human affairs.
I enjoyed this book the first time I read it and I still savor it when I return to its most thrilling passages. Highly recommended!

Press attribution of the unsusual weather of 1998-99 to El Nino gave hitherto unprecedented notoriety to this profound weather phenomenon, thus leading much of the public to believe that this was something new. It is very ancient.
Because of an interest in the history of sailing ships, this reviewer thought he was knowledgeable about El Nino, which controls the Humboldt Current flowing up the west coast of South America, significantly affecting sailing ships and vital for Peru's fisheries.

Nevertheless, this scholarly and thoroughly documented account was a revelation in its details of El Nino's long history and vast worldwide climatic effects, both beneficial and disastrous. This book can be strongly reommended, not only for meteorologists and climatologists, but also for archaeologists, historians and anyone concerned with agricultural policies anywhere.
Most particularly, this is recommended reading for anyone producing computer models purporting to forecast global warming trends.

Dear Sir or Madam, While visiting the city of Toronto in Canada recently I came across a new book about the climate phenomenon "El Nino". After having read this book all I can say that this title is excellent, and probably one of the best documented books published lately on this subject. The historical perspective projected by Dr. Caviedes is of great value to people that dedicates time to think about, or, to study all the latest changes in the weather patterns that we all see nowadays, and some of us experience first hand. Like this current summer drought across Canada, whereas in some other areas of this great country were suffering heavy rains and potential floodings three weeks ago in the midwest of our province of Alberta. In a few words I recommend this book to anyone interested in understanding these modern type of climate changes, Excellent and the most complete and documented of the works that I have seen published lately. Sincerely, Gui Lagos Calgary, AB. Canada.

Dr. César Caviedes' recent book entitled El Niño in History is based on numerous historical references that the author has collected over more than 30 years. In the early chapters of the book oceanic and meteorological mechanisms of El Niño and its counterpart, La Niña, are described. The author then identifies and examines numerous events in political, military, social, economic and cultural history that were influenced by El Niño and La Niña. Events include storms and floods, droughts, military campaigns, hurricanes and shipwrecks covering a wide time frame extending from the present to more than 10,000 years ago.

The author describes an example of how El Niño altered civilizations. He uses the Chicago Field Museum study in northern Peru (Nials et al. 1979) to illustrate a multi-disciplinary approach to identifying historic El Niño episodes in periods when climatologic data are not available. In the Nials study archaeologists, geologists and other specialists compared large river deposits left by contemporary El Niños with fossil deposits found in the area. As a result of these comparisons Nials and other investigators were able to date and size historic El Niño events in pre-Columbian Peru. Investigators were then able to conclude that the coastal Moche and Chimu civilizations were decimated by El Niño associated floods and droughts which ultimately led to the ascendance of the mountain dwelling Incas.

The author issues a direct challenge to readers of his book who are fond of environmental history. He suggests that they search written sources for references to extreme climatic events that serve as a back drop for notable historical circumstances to see if they can be related to a specific El Niño occurrence.

Dr. Caviedes is to be complimented on his excellent presentation of a complex and intriguing subject. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has a multi-disciplinary interest in history. Accept his challenge and identify a previously unknown civilization altering El Niño!

My son likes this book quite a bit. It's pretty informative and the illustrations are good. He knew most of the information already but the illustrations and the couple of new bits of information held his interest.

A fun way to look at the weather. I read it hundreds of times as a child and will read it to my daughter

This book is designed to provide beginning readers with information about thunderstorms, and safety. It includes information on how to make a cloud, rain gauge and web sites. Very good reading for grade levels 1-3.

My two boys, now aged 3 and almost 5, have asked for this constantly over a period of two years. They put it in the top five the top of their favorite books list and we have a LOT of outstanding books. My older boy has wowed several adults with his lectures on how lightening and thunder work. I highly recommend the book/cassette combination. My husband and I also enjoy listening to it after many, many hearings. It is entertaining, soothing, interesting, and educational.

This book gives a great description that EVERYONE can understand about rain, thunder and lightning. We have tried in so many different ways to teach our daughter about this phenomena and when we read the book she realized that we were telling the truth!

It helps children to deal with fears. In this book Franklin is afraid of thunderstorms. His friends help him thru it when they find out and are supported. This is an excellent book for any child that has a fear.

Franklin is leary about journeying to his friend Fox's house as an eminent thunderstorm is brewing in the skies above. Through understanding and encouragement from his friends, Franklin learns to deal with the inevitable storm and gains comfort from his friends.

My 3 yr old son really enjoys this book. At the time we purchased this he was afraid of loud noises. This book has helped to ease his fears. The book is well written and the characters are cute. I would recommend this to anyone.

This book is very well written. It makes it easy for children of any age to relate to the story. It also shows children that its okay to be afraid and shows ways to deal with that fear. (for parents too)!

FRANKLIN AND THE THUNDERSTORM is a colorful, entertaining, imaginative young reader book dealing with a relevant issue--FEAR. We all have them so this young reader book is sure to grab the child's attention. There is conflict and character growth, the formula for a great story a child will remember and ask for again.

Franklin's mother sends a reluctant and nervous turtle dressed in galoshes and a rain hat, carrying an umbrella, over to his friend, Fox's house as a storm begins to brew. When he arrives, there are three other animals there sharing their opinions about the approaching thunderstorm such as: "My fur feels funny," says Fox. "My feathers get all ruffled," says Hawk. "I can smell a storm coming," says Beaver sniffing. No one seems to be scared but Franklin. But he is scared enough for all four of his buddies! The storm hits full force and they all run inside. When the power goes out Franklin is so terrified he retreats inside his shell and no kind of coaxing on anyone's part, even treats from Mrs. Fox, will get him out. So Franklin's friends use their imaginations and begin talking about the CLOUD GIANTS. Whether the Cloud Giants are bowling or playing drums in the sky (thunder,) swinging from chandeliers or turning their lights on and off (lightning,) the illustrations are what make the story so great. Beaver quotes Mr. Owl's factual definition of thunder and Franklin, by this time, is out of his shell and smiling. Fox and his friends go back outside and Franklin discovers a rainbow. What Franklin say at the ending rounds out this very special story.

*You should buy this for the funny illustrations of the Cloud giants and what Franklin says about rainbows alone. Wonderful short story for ages 4-8. I got a set of 4 Franklins in a book club for my young daughter and this is her favorite.