Hurricanes by: Seymour Simon

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Collins

Copyright Date: 2007

Number of Pages: 32

Reading Level: 4-8

Summary:

Hurricanes is an informational book that describes the life of a hurricane in detail. It starts off talking about what hurricanes are and where they typically happen. It then goes through the different types of Hurricanes, such as: Cyclones, Tropical depressions, and tropical storms. When these storms go over the North Atlantic, Carribean, and the Gulf of Mexico, they are called hurricanes. In the north Pacific these are called typhoons, in the Indian Ocean they are called cyclones, in Australia they are called willy-willies. Then it goes on to talk about how hurricanes are formed and what kinds of things happen during a hurricane such as thunderstorms, tornados, and heavy rain and winds. The eye of the hurricane is the very middle and it is fairly calm with few clouds, but that tricks a lot of people into thinking that the storm is over when it is only half finished. Hurricanes form waves of fifty feet or higher that can wipe out coastlines. One historic hurricane hit Galveston, TX in 1900. It caused the worst storm tide in history. It moved the coastline back 300 feet. It then goes through the five categories and the wind speeds expected in each. The damage that hurricanes can cause is unbelieveable. They are the worst type of storm. Even worst than tornados because they can last for days and even weeks. The book gives excellent advice for before during and after hurricane situations such as, stay away from moving water and always keep extra water and non-perishable foods around.

Who would benefit from reading this book/who would I recommend this book to?

Any child living in hurricane prone areas would benefit from reading this book because it teaches them to be smart about hurricanes. It is good to know what a hurricane is and what to do if one comes close.

What problems/conflicts could this book potentially cause?

Some people could find the subject of hurricanes a little sensitive because they may have lost some people to a hurricane. If I were to teach with this book in school I would make sure to be aware of the students backgrounds that I have in my classroom.

My reaction:

I find hurricanes to be fascinating. It is amazing how they form and how long they can last. I thought this book had enormous amounts of information that is very educational and beneficial.