Hurricane Wolf (review)

Noah is initially intrigued to hear that Hurricane Anna is coming his family's way, and he helps prepare the house against the onslaught, noting that the storm is "like the big bad wolf." After the careful securing of the house and the laying in of supplies, the family is ready when the hurricane hits, taking out the power and bringing thunder, lightning, and torrential rain. Finally the storm ends, and the family exits to see that "everything was inside-out and upside-down," but the damage can all be restored with rebuilding and regrowth. Though there's a bit of excess and confusing whimsy in the personifications of the hurricane as a wolf and then as a cat (from its status as a category two hurricane, abbreviated on the radio to "cat-two"), this is a reassuring yet credible portrayal of a hurricane experience. It's carefully explained why Noah's friend has to evacuate while Noah's family doesn't and why particular supplies are stored and safety precautions taken, and the book directly addresses the issue of animal safety and indirectly that of human ("I hope no one was hurt," says Mom). It also manages genuine tension in the story of the storm's approach, onslaught, and departure, depicting Noah's understandable excitement at the unusual family gathering but also his parents' wiser unease. The figures are somewhat stiff, as well as strangely cherubic with their huge dewy eyes and pouting cherry lips, but Paterson generally employs her vivid tropical palette with deftness and controlled energy; blowing trees and flying debris add to viewers' picture of the experience. This could be a useful introduction for kids just coming to grips with the notion of hurricanes in their region as well as an explanation for those unlikely to experience such a thing, and it's especially helpful, in light of more tragic hurricane stories, to remind youngsters of the more usual, less devastating hurricane experience. Final pages give factual information (occasionally marred by cute expression) about hurricanes and storm preparedness.