The Big Storm [Hardcover]

Bruce Hiscock (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Part of Bruce Hiscock's popular natural science series, this full-color beginner book on weather chronicles the course of a devastating storm across the United States. Using one big weather system as an example, the author explains weather forecasting, how storms are formed, and how they travel.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5-In a format similar to his Big Tree (1991) and Big Rock (1988, both Atheneum), Hiscock describes the effects of a storm that hit the United States in the spring of 1982. With simple, well-chosen words, he conveys a wealth of information about weather. While describing the various stages of the storm, the author smoothly weaves clear descriptions of concepts such as cold fronts and atmospheric pressure into the text. The storm is traced over seven days, so readers are able to see how all of the stages fit together and affect one another. Forecasters try to plot where warm and cold fronts will meet and cause dangerous conditions, and the anticipation is truly suspenseful. Hiscock's illustrations are unspectacular but effective, particularly the diagrams. He does not spell out the meanings of various symbols used in several of the weather maps, but because they relate directly to the scene described, they are easy to decipher. The pictures include meteorologists, adults stuck in traffic, and children watching weather reports, playing in the snow, and reacting to the elements in other ways. Gail Gibbons's Weather Words and What They Mean (Holiday, 1990) and Lynda Dewitt's What Will the Weather Be? (HarperCollins, 1991) introduce the topic to the same age group, but The Big Storm is exceptionally thoughtful, well crafted, and involving.
Steven Engelfried, Alameda County Library, CA
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2-5. Hiscock's informative picture book chronicles the course of a devastating storm that crossed the U.S. in spring 1982. He tracks the progress of the low-pressure system that caused heavy rains along the Pacific Coast, avalanches in the Sierra Nevadas, blizzards in the Rockies, tornadoes in the Midwest, and deep snow from the Great Lakes to the East Coast. Brightly hued watercolor paintings portray the storm in a variety of ways: aerial satellite views, diagrams of fronts, close-ups of tornadoes touching down, and captioned diagrams explaining hail formation. Although the text is far more comprehensive than the format might suggest, Hiscock writes clearly and precisely: younger readers who may not understand all the meteorological concepts will still grasp the geography of North American weather patterns and enjoy the drama of this particular storm. Kay Weisman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (September 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689317700
• ISBN-13: 978-0689317705
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #591,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Big Killer Storm, February 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Big Storm (Hardcover)

I am a junior scientist, because I study whales and storms and what storms can do. And I am a junior ranger at Grand Canyon National Park. "The Big Storm" is the best book I have ever read, even better than "Baby Whale Rescue" by Caroline Arnold.

I have read "The Big Storm" and the dates it came in was March 31 through April 6, 1982. Storms can have very strong winds and in Nebraska the wind blew hard enough to pick up cow chips.

I liked this book so much because it showed where tornados were, and where the cold front was. The cold front extended from Mexico to Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, half of Colorado and all of California.

I think you should read this book if you are 6 to 65 years old.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book To Ignite A Child's Interest In Science, August 19, 2001

By 

David Gurgel (Roseland, New Jersey United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Big Storm (Hardcover)

I purchased this book for the daughter (third grader) of a friend. The young girl has shown a nice interest in summer science projects and computing. Computing goes nicely with the science of weather forecasting, so I thought this nicely illustrated account of an actual big storm that swept across much of the U.S. in 1982 would be good summer reading.

The reading level was posted as ages 4-8 but I would say 7-8, although the ample illustrations make it a book that ages 4-6 would enjoy with an adult reader.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and beautiful, January 1, 2011

By 

Kate (Yonkers, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Big Storm (Paperback)

My 9 year old son had a nonfiction book report to do, and I found this book at our library. After he read it alone, we read it again together to make sure he understood the various explanations of how storms form and travel (especially since he had to grasp enough to be able to put the information into his own words). The drawings are beautiful, and the diagrams explain atmospheric changes well, although children without a natural interest in the subject might need a little more explanation from an older reader. Both of us learned a lot from this book--especially since we are just now recovering from a blizzard!

I added this book to several gift lists I maintain for young relatives, and I recommend it highly.