“All About Hurricanes: Discovering Earth’s Wildest Storms”
By Cody Crane.
Children’s Press, New York, 2022, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
Hurricane season lasts from June to November in the United States. The later months of this period are more dangerous. The reason for this is that the ocean waters have longer to get heated.
The temperature of the water becomes the basic ingredient of hurricanes. Moving hundreds of miles off the coast of Africa, hurricanes pick up energy from the heated water. This causes the warm air near the center, or eye of the hurricanes, to rise. This air becomes cooled as it rises and sinks into the center of hurricanes. Due to the rotation of the earth, the air around the eye then starts to spin in a counter-clockwise motion in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, these storms are called typhoons or cyclones, and spin clockwise.
As the hurricanes travel westward toward North America, they pick up more energy, intensifying in power. They approach land with immense amounts of rain and destructive power. Cody Crane writes about the many aspects of hurricanes in his fine book, “All About Hurricanes: Discovering Earth’s Wildest Storms.”
Crane begins with the history of some of the world’s most destructive hurricanes. The pictures of Galveston, Texas, after the massive storm of Sept. 8, 1900, show the terrible effects of hurricanes on an unprepared city. In this tragedy, Galveston knew the storm was coming, the city just didn’t know when or how powerful it would be. More than 8,000 people died and the entire city was nearly destroyed.
Scientists gain more knowledge about the intensity and paths of hurricanes during the 20th century. Doppler radar, ocean water buoys and scientific flights into hurricanes provide much needed information about incoming hurricanes. The author explains how all of this generated information helps authorities protect civilian populations from the destruction caused by hurricanes.
A catalog is listed of the most powerful hurricanes in history. Crane addresses the issue of climate change and the effect of a hotter environment on the rising number of destructive hurricanes. He closes the book with an interesting classroom project to help students understand the need to prepare for hurricanes.
Students will be interested in the compelling photographs of famous hurricanes. Crane’s writing is quite informative and easy to understand. Since so many hurricanes have happened in recent years, readers will see the connection between climate change and hurricane intensity.
I am quite impressed with this book. Crane takes a complicated subject and describes it with interest and accuracy. If it is possible to say you enjoy a book about hurricanes, you will say that about this book. This title can be shared in the classroom setting or during a silent reading period. I hope that you get a chance to check out “All About Hurricanes: Discovering Earth’s Wildest Storms” by Cody Crane.
