A book with informational text about hurricanes and their destruction. This book is suitable for older children, 5 or older due to the amount of information. The should be read on more than one day, otherwise the information could be overwhelming or uninteresting to children. ( )

This books can be used for making predictions before reading. Non-fiction books help kids set a purpose for reading. 1st-3rd grade.

Hurricanes by Gail Gibbons starts by telling the reader the origin of the word hurricane. I didn't know the word hurricane was take from Hurakan, an ancient Mayan god of winds. She uses many sensory details to describe hurricanes. The next pages explain how hurricanes are formed. She also gives terms for parts of the hurricane and gives a brief explanation of the scale used to rank hurricanes. She ten illustrations the type of damage each hurricane category causes. Lastly, she gives a few facts about some of Americans most memorable hurricanes. Gail Gibbons always does a great job explaining science ideas and terms clearly in a way that young children can understand. ( )

Gail Gibbons is a very well known and popular Author. I have had encounters with several of her books, and think they are great informational texts to use within a lesson in a classroom. This book was used specifically to teach a group of fourth graders about the economical effects a hurricane can have on a community. The students were comparing the different categories with the amount of damage cost that could occur. This lesson was focusing on the social students frameworks, but it could also be used for the science framework. Pictures are great with details and useful information in an appropriate length and student level. ( )

Because of recent events, I chose to read this book by Gibbons, and I learned things that I hadn't before. Essentially, the book breaks down what causes hurricanes, how they're measured, the different magnitudes of hurricanes, and some notable hurricanes of history. The book has engaging illustrations and it doesn't shy away from some of the harsh realities that come along with hurricanes (severe property damage, etc.)
Hurrican Katrina happened when I was in 4th grade and we even had pen-pals that were impacted by Katrina, but we never actually learned what a hurricane was or WHY they happened, so I think this book would be extremely useful for students and (right now) extremely relevant to what is happening in the world around them. ( )