Chinook!

Mr. Andy tells Thad and Annie some tales about the spectacular effects of chinooks, hot winter winds that suddenly spring up and cause dramatic changes in the temperature

Grade 1-3-- A nostalgic reminiscence with a tall-tale flavor. Tunnell's quirky story begins with two young children, newly moved to a rural area in the West, but quickly switches to a series of exaggerated recollections recounted by a friendly local. The brief vignettes offered by "Mr. Andy" describe the effects of "granddaddy chinooks": winds so hot that they can melt snow and confuse the seasons. While some of the events depicted are humorous, others are somewhat disturbing. The vision (and picture) of horses hanging from a church steeple, for example, is extremely graphic and unappealing. For the most part, though, Root's illustrations are vigorous and amusing, with a primitive feel that suits the colloquial flavor of the text perfectly. Unfortunately, although Tunnell's text is smoothly written, the unfamiliarity of the phenomenon described, combined with the distinctly old-fashioned tone of the tale, may serve to distance young readers. For these reasons, despite the quality of both illustrations and text, the book may have only a limited regional appeal. --Lisa Dennis, The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In his children's book debut, Tunnell tells of the great, hot winds that tear through the winter countryside of the Pacific Northwest. A brother and sister recently moved to that region meet Andrew Delaney McFadden, an eccentric old man who is bracing himself for the return of the great Chinook that turned his community upside-down 50 years earlier. In a rather labored exposition, the man tells the wide-eyed children what a Chinook is and recounts the havoc the great gale wreaked on the town. Unfortunately, Tunnell's story, with its absence of a directed narrative and fleshed-out characters, is little more than a series of loosely connected tall tales. Even the somewhat predictable "surprise" ending, in which the long-awaited Chinook is seen rolling into town once more, fails to satisfy. Root's ( The Araboolies of Liberty Street ; The Singing Fir Tree ) peppy watercolors--an agreeable stylistic departure for this talented artist--provide a polished chromatic shift between winter's blue and white landscape and the golds of the Chinook-parched earth. Such whimsically surreal images as a horse-drawn sleigh "sailing" gaily through a flooded village add needed sparkle. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.