Weather Books

If not for anything else he did in his life, this man should be remembered for setting up the first weather forecasting service in England during the middle nineteenth century. That he was the Captain of the "Beagle" when Charles Darwin sailed on it as 'naturalist'; is not half as important as he was the one who set in motion the random currents that caused Darwin to be on the ship for its' full five year plus voyage.

He was a remarkable man who because he was also humble and self-effacing never ended up getting the critical acclaim that his life's work demanded. His five year voyage on the "Beagle" resulted in the most detailed mapping of the South American continent from the Plate to Valpariso, and especially the area around Cape Horn and the Straits of Magellan. So detailed were his maps that they were used for over 100 years.

During the voyage, he also determined all of the meridians and set-up their places on maps by which other sailors were able to determine their place anywhere on the earth at any time. Later, he devised a system by which ships could be signaled at sea that a major storm was brewing created the "gale warning" system. His work on meteorology was the first to use telegraphy to coordinate the capture of weather statistics so that information could be printed in newspapers the same day. He also devised the first two day weather forecasting, including the coining of the word 'forecast'.

The story of his life and accomplishments is well written, and well documented, besides being entertainingly presented. Great Biography.

I got this book because I am playing Fitzroy in Timberlake Wertenbakers play After Darwin. It has a wealth of information on the good Captain and enabled me to find a pathway into his mind that would not have had otherwise. The combination of excepts from the Narrative, Sullivan and Usborne's journals, and the record of Darwin himself paint an honorable picture that Fitroy would have been happy with. The recounting of the loss of a ship to the Fuegians on the voage preceeding Darwin is particuary interesting.

This work, by John and Mary Gribbin, combines a deep respect for Robert FitzRoy and his achievements with sound research. The end result is a book that is accessible to anyone with an interest in this complex and multi-faceted man.

Described by Charles Darwin as being 'A very extraordinary person', Robert FitzRoy served Britain as a naval captain (most famously as Captain of HMS Beagle), as a Governor of New Zealand, and in the field of weather forecasting.

While covering the voyages of HMS Beagle, this book provides information on FitzRoy's governorship of New Zealand as well as his achievements in weather forecasting. Along the way, we obtain glimpses of the struggle between a greater understanding of science and a deep innate religious conservatism. Robert FitzRoy tragically took his own life a few months before his 60th birthday.

A fascinating book about a fascinating man.

Highly recommended

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The father of weather forecasts and explorer of South America. Robert FitzRoy will be remembered by me. This book tells us about a great British aristocrat who gave more than he took. I love Patrick O'Brian and this could have been his but it is real story about a real person. FitzRoy was a remarkable man who history has pushed back to the shadows and labeled Darwin's Captain. FitzRoy, whose family is descended from Charles II, becomes a beloved British Man-o-war Captain, explorer, politician and eventual Vice Admiral. Mr. Gribbin gives us a picture of one of the last explorers and scientific innovators who charts South America, tries to support native rights in New Zealand and gives the world weather forecasting, yet is forgotten. His end did not justify his life. He was an amazing man who deserved more. He was faithful to his family, his country and religion. A good man and a great read.

The figure of Fitzroy lurks in the background of the Darwin saga and it is actually quite refreshing to draw him out on this score, both because of the interest in his life and work on its own terms and also for the light it throws on Darwin's early explorations in biology. Fitzroy's achievements in weather forecasting are little known, and his contribution to Darwin's education no doubt proceeds indirectly from the context of disciplined and meticulous scientific work in the Beagle's prime mission.

Frank Craighead was a leading biologist of grizzly bears who came from a remarkable family of naturalists and writers. He was also a long-time resident of Jackson Hole who took extensive notes of what he observed. This book is the result, tying observations of the natural world together. When one species of bird arrives or departs from the area, what flowers will be in bloom? What berries might be available for picking? What insects are active, and what does that mean for the angler's choice of fly?

The result is remarkable, if only because it makes clear how few people have the knowledge to present such information for their own home base. Farmers once did, but now worry more about soil moisture and futures markets than whether the red-tailed hawks are fledging.

Unfortunately, the book reads all too often like a list. Many sentences read like this one: "Golden eagles are fledging, as summer flowers like houndstongue and monkshood are appearing, and as golden aster, woolly yellow daisy, ballhead sandwort, and sego (or mariposa) lily peak." With a good field guide, this would be useful information to help me learn plant identifications, but it's hard to think what else one might do with it. For a visitor who will only see one week of the year, only a few pages of the book will be useful, though a year-round resident of the area can use the entire book.

Craigshead doesn't bring his biological knowledge to such observations and try to explain why these things might go together. Of course the links between golden asters and golden eagles must be indirect, through many other links in the web of the ecosystem, but it would make for a more interesting book if he had thought in terms of ecosystems instead of species.

As one who was first shown the Northern Lights, alerted to a bull elk's bugle and introduced to Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) by Frank Craighead, one who was favored with the chance to rent a cabin from him facing the Tetons and enjoy many hours of conversation and dinners with him and his family, I feel qualified to say that this rare book, FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, is a portrait of the man as well as the biologist---there is nothing detached or dry in Frank's telling, but a thinly veiled almost poetic passion for the natural world he so intimately knows---and wants others to know as he does. For if you can love nature, you will want to save it; And I see that as one of Frank's primary goals. Yet he is generous, not hoarding, in his knowledge of secret sites where exciting biota interact: He could easily withold where and at what exact time of year one finds morel mushrooms or certain unusual flowers, but he doesn't. He trusts the reader enough to not harm what he discovers through Frank's book. A valuable, valuable read and resource. There could not be any better for that region.

As one who was first shown the Northern Lights, alerted to a bull elk's bugle, and introduced to Blue Flax (Linum lewisii) by Frank Craighead, and one favored with the chance to rent a cabin from him facing the Tetons and to enjoy many hours of conversation and dinners with him and his family, I feel qualified to say that this rare book, FOR EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON, is a portrait of the man as well as the biologist. With an almost poetic passion (but minus sentimentality), Frank shares with us the intricate details of biotic life in the Grand Teton-Yellowstone ecosystems---what "events" occur coinstantaneously and may signal the occurence of what OTHER events, within each given season and "subseason". His knowledge of these interrelationships is transfixing to the amateur naturalist (like myself!), and inspiring. The flow of Life itself brims from this book. And while he could easily hoard such choice hints as where and when to find morel mushrooms or certain rare flowers, he doesn't: He is generous in trusting his readers to not harm the biota they discover via his book. A better homage and resource book for this region could not be found.

This book is a literal reprint with a new cover and new title of Frank Craighead's previous book "For Everything There Is A Season". If you're interested in the natural history of the greater Yellowstone region or in the correlations of natural events then one of these are a must have addition to your library. But they are identical with nothing more than a cover and title change so do not buy both.

The book is great, but buyers should be aware that it is an exact reprint with a new jacket and a new title. I certainly wouldn't have purchased an exact copy of a book already in my library and feel that Amazon and the publisher should make this clear.

For anyone who's in love with the land of the Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, Craighead's book is required reading. What a joy to follow the changes of the seasons and the cycle of birth and migration of the area's animals with this knowledgeable man as a guide! Craighead focuses on weekly changes in climate and life, and each week is brimming with details of flora and fauna. I am constantly learning about my home, but this book isn't just for Jackson Hole dwellers - there are vivid photos on every page and extensive appendices for birders and amateur ecologists, as well as mammoth additional reading lists and a detailed index. Thanks, Frank.

This book is a must read for anyone intrigued by natural phenomena relating to all sorts of things including "why birds don't fall off tree branches when they sleep". This book is much more than weather and sky. It is one that you will pick up and read again and again. I heartily recommend it. Get yours today! Makes a nice Christmas gift too!

This is an enjoyable book, with a lot of interesting information. It also has many small scientific errors that a professional scientist would never make - almost every page has some small error of wording or description. I'm just a layman, so I don't know what a professional would find. There is enough new and interesting material to far outweigh the errors, but you should not assume that everything you find here is repeatable as truth.

Frogs falling from the sky? Balls of light zipping around mastheads of ships? This surprisingly non-technical book explains the theories and facts behind strange phenomena of the sky. Illustrators, take not, as well. Glenn Wolff's illustrations bring this book to life and make it a wonderful addition to everyone's coffee table

I love it. I received only a few days ago and I already finished it. I must read it again and again. It is well written in an easy style accessible to all and nicely illustrated. The contents seem to be more science fiction thatn science facts, they are so incredible. I love it as I already wrote and you willl too. Don't wait, buy it now. Amazon.com can ship it in a record time and the price is excellent value for money for this highly entertaining book.

I found this book to be quite facinating, and very well written. It should be a must read for anyone interested in the subject of science and weather. This book covers all sorts of anomalies of weather and nature from 'frogs rains' to tornadoes, thunderstorms and sun spots! All sorts of interesting bits of information are compiled here, that make it a page-turning read from start to finish. There is great information about comets and stars and all sorts of oddities of the heavens as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The information is conveyed intelligently, but with an undercoat of wit and humor. You will really enjoy this one!

A wonderful use of weather as metaphor. These personalized essays have universal appeal as it relates the time of the year with changes in one's life. Toth's style allows the reader into her world. This intimate essays are touching, warm and funny. This book is an engaging journey through the always changing Midwestern weather and the ups and downs of life. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to everyone.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. Toth writes with such color, poignancy and humor that I feel like I am also experiencing the storms, heat, and calms in her life. Toth uses weather as markers for different times and events in her life. The stories of often tempestuous and unpredictable midwest weather unfold into even larger pictures of this fasinating woman's life and experiences. Her tone is unassuming and welcomes me directly into her life. Like a close friend I watch pieces from her life evolve: a troubled first marriage, motherhood, and eventually a happy second marriage.

Because Toth's style is so unassuming and unpretentious, at first you might overlook the fact that this woman really knows how to write. Her language is intelligent and musical, and brimming, like the weather she writes about, with quiet intensity. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book arrived from Amazon.com just as my husband and I were about to leave for Newark Airport for a flight to San Antonio to visit our son. While thunderstorms were predicted, Continental Airlines confirmed that our flight would depart on time. This was not to be though as weather delayed us almost three hours. How fitting then to start Susan Allen Toth's book on weather while coping with it ourselves.

Toth's three books on England are superb writings on a country that I too love and visit often. Her newest book stays closer to home though it too did not disappoint me. Toth deals with midwest weather in these essays at the same time that she shares personal scenes from her life with us. I not only felt for her remembrances of love lost, love found, and mother/daughter relationships but actually felt the hot summers, severe winters, and sudden winds of her part of America.

And, since we all deal with weather no matter where we live or what our stories, Toth's book provides a gentle breeze and high hopes that tomorrow will be another day--in spite of today's weather!

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to fans of Susan Allen Toth's earlier books as well as to those unfamiliar with her works.

Toth's reflections on Midwestern weather, and the way it seals and enriches memory for the people who live in it, are astute, poignant, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. No one who has experienced the ambivalent thrill of the eerie calm before a tornado, the grand spectacle of clouds gathering on the prairie sky, the hush of a newfallen snow, or the cleansing effect of a walk by the water on a windy day, will fail to appreciate this book. And those who haven't may well be intrigued that a subject often considered mundane is able to inspire such a fascinating combination of personal memories and deep, universal insights. The epigraphs that introduce each essay are an elegant reminder that Toth is continuing a fine tradition--the Midwestern writer standing in awe of the power, drama, and extraordinary beauty of nature as it unfolds before our eyes.

An Anglophile myself, Susan Allen Toth first came to my attention with her three 5-star travel narratives about England (MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH ENGLAND, ENGLAND AS YOU LIKE IT, ENGLAND FOR ALL SEASONS), and then her reminiscences of growing up in Iowa (BLOOMING) and off to college (IVY DAYS). LEANING INTO THE WIND comes across as a stream of musings about the rest of her life, all given unity by their strong or loose association with Midwestern climatology.

Many of Susan's weather references are symbolic, as alluding to the "storms" that troubled the eleven years of her failed first marriage to Lawrence, or equating Life in general to the "storm" into which we all must step. Indeed, many of the author's insights come from the philosophical viewpoint of one in the autumn of life. Born in the early 40s, if Susan isn't already sixty, she closing on it fast. There are numerous sentences prefaced with "I used to feel", "over my lifetime", "as I've grown older", "when I was young", and "these days". For that reason, LEANING INTO THE WIND will perhaps not appeal to younger readers. One might have to be of "that certain age", or a die-hard Toth fan.

Having lived in Southern California, where the climate is monotonously temperate 24/356, for fifty of my fifty-four years, I can't relate to Susan's description of weather's excesses. I've never personally seen a frozen lake, or had to take refuge in a storm cellar, or experienced eight inches of rain in as many hours. But the beauty of the author's prose is that I can immediately empathize when our experiences do intersect, as when she talks of leaping into an ice-cold pool from cement broiling under the July sun. Or, as sensitive to mosquito bites as she is, listening with dread to the drone of the summer pest in a dark room. Or reveling in the green, cool lushness of an English spring garden. Or smelling burning leaves in fall's nippy air. Toth brings it all back, no matter at what age I experienced the original. For the rest, of which I know nothing, I happily go along for the ride and trust in my guide.

LEANING INTO THE WIND is perhaps not the author's best book; its twelve chapters, though all under the Midwestern weather umbrella, are disparate from one another. And, at only 124 pages, it's overpriced in the hardback format. However, Toth has previously provided me with many hours of congenial reading, so I'll not be too begrudging. Love ya, Susan!

mis-ordered, i had meant to purchase the field guide to clouds, which has been renamed the weather field guide. there is some decent general information in this pocket guide, and i would recommend this book to 10-14 year olds. but if you are really interested in weather and cloud formations you want to buy the proper field guide which really isn't that much larger than this book, and contains a great deal more information and photographs.

Well I consider that this is a very well illustrated book as well as all those from Audubon Society, pictures are impressive.

The information on the book is very useful, it is also very detalailed for a pocket guide, and I consider a good aspect the way to find clouds, is quick and you will easily learn to classify them.

This pocket book to weather can be used in the field for years, since it's reliability level is high for a first guide. The photographs are more spectacular and much easier to see. The background behind the cloud photos is also breathtaking. The "heap cloud" family is extensively covered here, coming out at more than 15 photographs in all! This will easily encourage an amateur meteorologist to delve into studying cloud formations and phenomenons. Once again, the material is geared toward amateurs and experienced users. There is an explanation beside the cloud type listing covering: Cloud significance, season, range, and local area abundance. Please heed that you must buy this before the advanced Audubon guides.

This book is similar, though much more condensed, to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Weather. It has some of the most beautiful weather pictures I've ever seen! The text is also right next to its corresponding picture, making it very easy to use. The small size makes it perfect to carry along with you everywhere!

Nice pics. Nice info. Good boo

Based largely on interviews, this work is a comprehensive study of lightning's human aspects. Friedman, a journalist and documentary film producer, gathers the stories of lightning strike survivors, many of whom are religious and see a divine purpose in their survival. The book also summarizes lightning mythology and folklore, and it recounts the history of lightning science, beginning with Ben Franklin. There are only a few contemporary scientists who study lightning, and they still find some aspects of it puzzling. Much of the book recounts a 2003 helicopter rescue of a mountaineering party struck by lightning atop Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountain, a strike that killed one climber and severely injured several others. Survivors of lightning strikes often have mysterious, long-lasting symptoms that confuse doctors. An organization of lightning strike survivors now exists, and medical science is advancing research on lightning strike victims. Some storm chasers admit they find lightning the most fascinating and feared form of severe weather. Friedman's work is an excellent study of lightning for a popular audience.

"OUT OF THE BLUE," John S. Friedman's comprehensive study and report on the frightening phenomenon of lightning is, well, enlightening, to say the very least. It is all here - the history, the pre-history, the theories, the facts and the fables surrounding this timeless subject. Friedman has traveled the land and come back with insights and anecdotes you will long remember, including hair-raising, if not hair-scorching, first person accounts of several multiple-strike lightning survivors. The author is a seasoned journalist with an ear for a good story and he knows how to tell it to us. As perfect a summer read as you will find. Just don't nestle with it under a tree in thunderstorm.

This book is a wonderful surprise. It is inspirational and filled with suspense, adventure, and human interest. It is about religion, faith, and the ways humans cope.

The author writes about lightning in a unique way. Instead of looking at it through a dull, scientific lens, he tells how people have reacted to lightning through the ages. We learn how the Greeks and Romans perceived lightning, about lightning in the Bible, about the conversions of St. Paul and Martin Luther that were possibly caused by lightning, about religious beliefs in the Middle Ages, the criticism of Franklin by clerics, the daring laboratory experiments of Charles Steinmetz and Nikola Tesla, and the latest discoveries by researchers.

But what I found most fascinating in Out of the Blue were the stories of survivors--including an incredible rescue on the Grand Teton. Many survivors describe out-of-body and near-death experiences and how lightning spurred them to greater faith, changed their lives, and made them better people. There are lessons here for all of us.

There is something pointed about lightning that seems to show purposefulness. We have earthquakes, we have tornadoes, we have many other worrisome planetary characteristics, but lightning seems aimed, it seems to pick off individuals in ways that cry out for a reason such a thing ought to befall them. The pointedness of lightning is one of the themes running through _Out of the Blue - A History of Lightning: Science, Superstition, and Amazing Stories of Survival_ (Delacorte Press) by John S. Friedman. It has a more-or-less historic run of chapters dealing with how we have come to our current understanding of lightning as a natural rather than supernatural phenomenon, intercalated with the story of a dramatic rescue of climbers struck by lighting on a peak of the Teton Range and with many personal stories about what lightning has done to survivors. Don't call them victims. The Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Victims was founded in 1989, but changed those "Victims" to "Survivors", and the organization thrives with 1,500 members each of whom have insights no non-member will ever have. Friedman, a writer who made the Oscar-winning documentary _Hotel Terminus_ twenty years ago, has interviewed many of the survivors whose stories make up the most arresting part of the book.

Lightning not only seems aimed, it is fast, conducting its devastation literally before those it hits knew what hit them. The gods who use lightning in the stories are the ones quick to wrath. When Benjamin Franklin had invented the lightning rod, priests argued against it, saying that they were impious tools to thwart God's will. Though the folklore described here is amusing, the science of lightning is just as well described, although there are still large holes in our understanding. Forked lightning is the most familiar; it happens on Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn, too. On Earth, over a billion such flashes happen every year. An average flash is 25,000 feet long and one to six inches in diameter. It heats up the lightning channel to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, far hotter than the surface of the sun. Plenty live to tell about being hit by such bolts; such strikes are only fatal around 10% of the time. We think of lightning coming down and hitting one target, but it can jump around. In Colorado in 2004, lightning hit the clubs of a golfer who was with a group, but then it jumped from one person to another, resulting in injuries to the group of nineteen, no deaths. Tenacious golfers are at risk for lightning injury, leading to the safety slogan "Don't be lame! End the game!" Boy Scouts also seem to be at risk, and the organization has lost some huge lawsuits because it does not have a good safety record. The most peculiar stories here are of the people who get struck repeatedly; lightning not only does strike in the same place, it seems to prefer particular people. These "human lightning rods" are not always forest rangers or otherwise in locales at risk for lightning strikes, they just get hit more often. There may be a medical reason, something different in their body chemistry, but no one has a clue what it might be. As far as anyone knows, if you survive a lightning strike you are safe from future ones; no one who gets hit repeatedly has ever died from subsequent strikes.

Being struck by lightning has definite, but variable, physiological results. The common ideas that someone who is struck will burst into flames or will be instantaneously reduced to ashes are wrong. There can be burns because of the extreme heat, but there are often few external signs of a strike. Even more serious and puzzling are neurological symptoms like memory or attention problems. There are few doctors who ever get to see a lightning strike survivor, and so there are very few specialists. With the pointedness of lightning, it is not surprising that those who are struck and live take lessons from the experience. Over and over in interviews, they tell Friedman things like "God must have a plan for me", and many have had their personal faith increased. No one mentions why such a plan had to include a lightning strike, and it seems that the greatest inspiration that such victims have gotten is to work devotedly for The Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors. The circularity doesn't seem to register; if lightning strikes were a force for human good, we would not need such organizations, nor would we need National Lightning Safety Awareness Week each June, which is sponsored jointly by organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) , the Little League, and the PGA Golf Tour. Friedman's book is an appealing combination of meteorological and medical science, combined with the personal stories of those whom lightning has hit, and the gruesome stories of those who did not live to tell the stories themselves.

The author of this book makes a valiant attempt at covering the subject of lightning from most angles: the science, the history of thought about lightning, the superstitions, the damage caused and the effects (both physical and mental) on those who have been struck and have survived. The author has conducted interviews with scientists, physicians and several lightning strike survivors; in fact there is much more on the human side of lightning strikes than anything else. On the positive side, this book is written in a clear, friendly and very engaging way. It is a quick, pleasant and easy read. On the negative side, a few passages on the science contain errors, e.g., p. 103: "... the area of positively charged electrons on the ground ....".. However, the direct quotations from scientists seem accurate. Also, there is one entire chapter on tornado chasers where lightning is hardly mentioned; this chapter may have been more suitable for a book on tornados. Finally, three entire chapters are devoted to the detailed play-by-play rescue of a team of mountain climbers, some of whom were struck by lightning; a few pages, as in the case of the many other amazing survivor stories, would most likely have been sufficient. Notwithstanding these minor quibbles, this is an excellent, indeed thrilling, book that can be enjoyed by absolutely anyone.

This story has great illustrations and and creates a little anticipation as the animals use their senses to predict that the rain is coming. This is a great story for young children and a must have if you are a preschool teacher.

"Rain," written and illustrated by Manya Stojic, is a very simply written but bold story about how animals could react to the rain in the parched African savanna. Using the five senses of smell, sight, sound, touch and taste, African animals give different commentaries about the coming rains. The bright, bold illustrations are of great value to the book; they make it fun and enjoyable. Using large fonts and bold letters along with the pictures, one can almost feel the heat of the desert rise from the pages as well as the coolness of the rains.

The rain cycle could be taught along with this book, showing the benefits of the rain. Life depends on the rains - the grasses grow and fruits develop and mature. Life is sustained again by the blessings of the rain.

The book is great for helping young readers build their vocabulary. Sentences such as "A porcupine sniffed around" contain verbs that are easy to act out for children - the children can "sniff" as the porcupine talks about it. Besides the use of basic verbs, it also contains a good variety of descriptive adjectives (ie. cool, soft, squelchy mud). For teaching opposites, such as dry, wet, empty, full, "Rain" can be useful. I see great potential for this book in my bilingual class.

Manya Stojic has done a great job on this, her first children's book.

Stojic's book is very good for emergent readers. It expands children's knowledge and takes them to a far away place. The print is vivid, it helps emergent readers feel like real readers because the text is repetitious and it contributes to children's sense of story because it ends the way it begins. In all, it's a great book for preschoolers and kindergarten children!

Stojic suceeds at her first children'book! Educators/parents can use this book for lessons in African animals, the five senses, and how the Earth needs rain for vegetation and the food we eat. The illustrations are bold and give the feel of the dry African landscape. After the rain comes the illustrations are lush and feel like what we know as spring. Early readers can identify words in the large text. A must have for Early Childhood Educators!!

This new release would be a great addition to your child's library. It tells the story of how the wild animals sense that the rain is coming, and then how they celebrate the results of the life-giving rainstorm. The illustrations are done in bright, primary colors that are very eye-catching. I think this is a great book for those long, hot summer days.

Maybe the fact that we get tons of snow in winter made this book a favorite of my 2 1/2 year old son, but whatever the reason he insists on us reading it each night. He loves the "eating" pages where the family enjoys breakfast, then snacking later and a homemade stew for dinner. He takes in every page and probably imagines himself in each page. From the cozy playtime in front of the fire to swooshing down the hill on a sled, it's a winner with us.

I checked the book out of the library, and I am considering buying because 4 weeks was not enough for my [...]daughter. She loved both the poetic style and the pictures. Even the invented words brought out curiosity about what they meant and why they were used. Overall this books brings the delightful feeling of a chilly yet cozy snow day that even a toddler gets!

My daughter is only two but loved hearing the language in this book and looking at the pictures. The words bring alive what a snow day is like and are pure poetry. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to relive a snow day as a child or who wants to introduce their child to the magic of words. I completely disagree with the other reviewer. They do not understand that language is to be played with. This is how we encourage our children to play with their words and become readers and writers.

This book consists of page after page of descriptive phrases with no full sentences or actions. After I read this book to my 3 and 5 year old sons, I really wondered how it got published. It's pretty boring and employs words that are much too lofty for the preschool set. The pictures, however, are lovely.

From the opening of the book /A cozy, curled lump in the quilt./ to the end /The quilt closes and quiets. Child nestles with Mama. Snow day melts to dreams./, I've tried to capture the pure joy and magic of a snow day--the magic I remember growing up in Maine with snow days. The family in this book shares breakfast /Steamy oatmeal in a brown sugar 'n' cream bath./, the power going out /Wooooo-ooooo! Wild, whirling wind crashes limbs to lines./, getting dressed to go outside /Nubby mittens. Pom-pommed, pulled-down cap./, sledding / Kwoosh! Thud! Trudge!/, and a warm bath /Soapy soak. Boat-filled bath. Towel wrap. Flannels with footies./ until they fall asleep with sweet-dreams of their snow day.

To me, a snow day is a special gift from Mother Nature--a chance to stay home as a family and share books, games, and laughter. The snow slows the busy-ness of the world, and the simple pleasures of hot chocolate, playing pretend, wearing long johns, and home-made stew can be savored. Illustrator Hideko Takahashi did a wonderful job of capturing the details and wonder of a snow day--even though she grew up in an area of Japan with NO snow! Hideko's images have fun, unexpected details like a house appearing to blow in the storm, a braided rug you can almost feel, and a card castle so detailed you want to blow it down.

I hope this book will encourage children and classes to create their own special "day" books--picnic day, camping trip, city visit, etc. Simply start with a web and create scenes for that special day and then write a little "poem" describing each part of that day. It's fun--try it!

I wish everyone the magic of snow days--all year long!

My son and I both love Kipper. The great thing about Kipper books is that you can get Kipper stories for any age child. The Little Kippers are short books, perfect for a 1.5 - 3 year old. Of course, the art work and the stories are appealing and sweet. That's true of everything Mick Inkpen has published.

My daughter who is two and a half years old keeping this book by her bed and we have to read it at least once before she goes to bed. It is a good book that allows you to have fun with your kid (making puddle sounds, rain dances as long as you can imagine you will not be bored)

My 2-1/2 year old twins really love Kipper. It began with the TV shows (which they adore and beg for EVERY NIGHT) but they love the Kipper books too. Gentle characters and appealing themes. They like this one because it's been a rainy winter in San Francisco and they can relate to the umbrella and rain. They are fascinated with themes of WET v. DRY so this book helps with those notions. I also think the girls enjoy this book because of the charming non-busy pictures, and the simple themes that they can understand. Kipper is great!

This is a fairly simple book that my 3 year old likes, but my 5 year old finds a little too simple. It does have cute illustrations and would be a good rainy day book.

If your child enjoys watching Kipper on tv they will love the liitle kipper books. Especially Splosh! It is a sound effects book about the rain. And everytime in the book we get to the part where the rain drips drips drips off the hedgehogs nose and than the hedgehog says Ah-Ah-Ah-Tishoo, my two year old son laughs everytime. You will love them all.

The books are really cute. However, all of the books in the series are small chapters in a larger story. That means you have to go back and buy the other books to see how the story ends. It was a tricky way to get me to buy more of their product. Because I had to buy six books for my daughter to finish one story, I'm not sure I will buy the other fairy books from this author.

This is the second series of "Rainbow Magic" fairy books written by Daisy Meadows, picking up where the seven-part Rainbow Fairies series left off. These books are innocent and engaging, focusing on two young girls, Kirsty and Rachel, who meet while on vacation with their parents, and are drawn into the magical world of the fairies, who are in conflict with the mischievous Jack Frost. The structure of this series is nearly identical to the first: the girls are given a quest in which they must help seven fairies (each with sparkles aplenty and cute, super-girly outfits and princess-y names such as Hayley, Heather, Iris, Amber and Iris... ) who have been bothered by Jack and his goblin helpers. In each book they complete one part of the quest and meet one new fairy.

It is important to know going in that these books are interconnected -- each individual volume ties in with the others, so you will want to start with book #1, then go on to #2, etc. The plots are not very complicated, but they do make reference to each other, and the idea is to read them all together.

The other thing to know is that these books are not very scary or troubling - there is action, but no violence and not much real danger (the goblins are easily beaten, and not very frightening) so if you are looking for longer narratives for young kids to read, but don't want anything disturbing, this series is good option. One criticism is that the books are pretty WASP-y, and while a couple of the fairies might be seen as Asian, basically the entire series takes place in an all-white, middle-class world, populated with thin, blonde girls and a few brunettes. Other than that, though, this is a good series for families looking for light, engaging, age-appropriate stories. (ReadThatAgain children's book reviews)

My daughter is 9 and has Asperger's syndrome, or high functioning autism. She collects feathers, and the weather is one of her IMPORTANT subjects. She reads fast, and finished this book quickly.... and informed me that she needs to read the rest of them so could I please help her get them right away? The story itself is a little intense because the goblin is actually trying to hit Storm and girls with lightning, but of course it all comes out okay in the end. We will definitely read the other books in the series!

We've been struggling for a way to get my daughter to read now that she's run out of Junie B. Jones books. The Weather Fairies books have done the trick. She seems to enjoy reading again for the first time in half a year or more.

I have to say I haven't read any of the Weather Fairies myself but I caught my twelve-year-old son reading the series because his sister had obviously liked it. He said he wanted to read more, too.

My soon-to-be 5 year old daughter and I LOVE this series. The stories are simple enough and short enough (about 40 min) to hold her attention as a read aloud, and there are enough illustrations peppered throughout to give her something to look at as I read. Both the stories and the illustrations are delightful. These books have ignited a passion for reading in my daughter, and she is now extremely motivated to read on her own so she doesn't have to wait for me to read them to her. We can hardly wait for the rest of the series to be published in the US. There are also the Jewel Fairies, the Pet Fairies, and the Party Fun Fairies that are only available in the UK right now, but it looks like some of them will be published here this summer. You can be sure we will be pre-ordering them!