Hurricanes: Earth's Mightiest Storms [Hardcover]

Patricia Lauber (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

An introduction to the power, majesty, and destruction of hurricanes contains eyewitness accounts of the storms, scientific facts about all types of hurricanes, and full-color photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?An attractive, well-written book from one of the more competent authors in the children's science field. If you already own Dorothy Souza's Hurricanes (Carolrhoda, 1994) or Jonathan Kahl's Storm Warning (Lerner, 1993) you still need this one. Beginning with an unnamed but still remembered super-storm that churned across Long Island and slammed into New England in 1938, Lauber goes on to discuss the weather conditions that give birth to hurricanes and the technological developments that allow meteorologists to track storms and predict their paths and powers. She describes the awesome strength of Andrew in 1992 and its possible long-term effects?abetted by construction and other human activities?on the ecology of Southern Florida. A section on other dramatic storms and the local implications of shifts in global weather patterns rounds out the readable, informative text. Crisp full-color photos and clear maps abound, and a list of further readings makes the title useful as well as interesting to the inquiring mind. Well done, albeit slightly unnerving to those residing in high-risk areas.?Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-8. Accounts of natural disasters make thrilling stories. Like her Newbery Honor Book Volcano (1986), Lauber's full-color photo-essay combines the human drama with scientific information. Here her subject is the great whirling storms that roar out of the ocean: what makes them, how to track them, and what destruction they cause. She begins with a detailed account of one disaster that came as a terrifying surprise: the 1938 monster hurricane that ravaged Long Island and New England. Then she discusses the physics of storms and the modern development of sophisticated instruments, including weather satellites and powerful computers that can help predict the path and the strength of storms. She focuses on recent big storms, especially Hurricane Andrew in 1989, detailing the damage to human areas and also to plants and wildlife. The simple, dramatic prose communicates the rising tension and the terrifying facts ("whole houses were lifted off their foundations and smashed to pieces . . ."). Browsers will start with the clearly captioned photos of pounding seas, wrecked neighborhoods, and flattened trees. The spacious book design, with large type, thick paper, wide margins, and clear maps and diagrams, will keep them reading. Hazel Rochman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590474065
• ISBN-13: 978-0590474061
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #729,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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