Hurricane Hunters!: Riders on the Storm - Hardcover

Demarest, Chris L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689861680 ISBN 13: 9780689861680

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2006

Synopsis

Acclaimed author and artist Chris L. Demarest takes you inside the heart of a hurricane with real-life adventurers who risk their lives to keep our shorelines safe.

It’s a sunny, beautiful day on America’s southeastern coast. But out in the Atlantic Ocean, chaos is brewing. Waves are crashing. Winds are blowing. And the National Hurricane Center is calling the Hurricane Hunters!

While those on land prepare for the worst, these brave men and women fly into the heart of a two-hundred-mile-wide hurricane and collect information. The crucial data that they gather provides better predictions of where storms are headed, allowing people to evacuate and saving hundreds, maybe thousands, of lives.

About this title

About the Author

Chris L. Demarest says: "A few years ago my wife and I brought our two-year-old son to an open house at a fire station. Ethan loved the big red fire trucks and I became totally enthralled not only by the trucks, but by the idea of serving my community as a firefighter.

"Being a full-time illustrator, I work at home, so I could be on call at any time. I took a lot of classes, passed some hard tests, and became a volunteer firefighter. I am on call for the Meriden, New Hampshire, station, where I now get to drive those big red fire trucks.

"I created Firefighters A to Z to show Ethan and other children what firefighting is really like. It can be an exciting job, but it's also a dangerous one. I hope to convey that through this book."

Reviews

PreSchool-Grade 2–The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (the Hurricane Hunters) flies out of Biloxi, MS, into the hearts of violent storms, compiling essential weather data that ultimately saves human lives. Demarest presents their exploits in an oversized, brightly illustrated format, twin to his Hotshots! (S & S, 2003). A brief, dynamic text follows a typical flight into a burgeoning tempest, beginning with a view of a tranquil beach and ending with a completed mission. The contrast between sunlit and storm-ravaged seas is clear, as are the heavy preparations on shore and the destructive force of the squall as it crosses land. The simple language is reinforced by the vigorous pastels, which open a window into the WC-130 Hercules and the activities of the crew. An extended author's note provides extra data. Team this crisp, exciting book with Franklyn Branley's Hurricane Watch (HarperCollins, 1985) and/or Rick Thomas's Eye of the Storm (Picture Window, 2005) for more meteorology, or pair it with Keith Elliot Greenberg's more demanding Storm Chaser (Blackbirch, 1997) for a personal look at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) pilot and his experiences.–Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gr. 2-4. Demarest's latest picture book explains the work of the large converted cargo planes that fly into hurricanes to collect weather data. Most of the double-page spreads, rendered in bright pastels, show a plane as it goes through the stages of its mission. A few pages depict the preparations on land as people get ready for the hurricane's approach. The pastels are particularly effective at capturing the look and feel of the powerful winds and swirling water caused by a hurricane at its height. The text is fairly slight, with only a couple of sentences on most pages, but the last two pages offer a fuller, more informative, explanation of the hurricane hunter's mission. Young aviation fans will appreciate the clear diagram of the layout of a WC-130 Hercules at the front of the book. Obviously topical, this book provides an effective introduction to the most dangerous part of the hurricane warning system. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Publication date: 2006
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0689861680
• ISBN 13: 9780689861680
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Demarest Chris L.
• Number of pages: 40