A Storm Called Katrina
by Myron Uhlberg (Author)
A moving fictional story about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the people of New Orleans, as seen through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy. A must-have for introducing this historical event to children.
★ "Heartrending...Simple, affecting...one worth sharing for sure." ―Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
★ "Deeply personal." ―Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
★"Memorable." ―Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
"This moving introduction to Hurricane Katrina imparts its lessons with a restraint that powerfully increases their gravity." ―New York Times
Louis Daniel hates it when Mama treats him like a baby. But when Hurricane Katrina blows through the Gulf Coast, Louis feels like a little kid again. With no time to gather their belongings―except Louis's beloved horn―Daddy leads the family into an unfamiliar, watery world of floating debris, lurking critters, and desperate neighbors. Taking shelter in the already-crowded Superdome, Louis and his parents wait...and wait. Conditions continue to worsen, and when Daddy fails to return from a scouting mission within the Dome, Louis knows he's no longer a baby. It's up to him to find his father―with the help of his prized cornet.
Award-winning author Myron Uhlberg highlights resilience and hope throughout this sensitively portrayed fictional story based on the real events of Hurricane Katrina. Colin Bootman's dramatic illustrations enhance the warmth and strength of the young narrator's family as they work through the tragedy.
Also available from Myron Uhlberg:
Dad, Jackie, and Me
Flying Over Brooklyn
Lemuel the Fool
The Printer
The Sound of All Things
Awards:
Best Children's Books of the Year (Starred) ―Bank Street College of Education
Teachers' Choices ―International Reading Association
Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People ―National Council for the Social Studies, Children's Book Council
Top 10 Black History Books for Youth ―Booklist
Editors' Choice: Books for Youth (Middle Readers, Fiction) ―Booklist
Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award ―Oppenheim Toy Portfolio
California Collections (Elementary) ―California Readers
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Starred, Primary) ―Kansas National Education Association
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee, Picture Book) ―Maryland Association of School Librarians
Charlotte Award (Nominee, Primary) ―New York State Reading Association
Delaware Diamonds (Nominee, Grades 3-5) ―Diamond State Reading Association
Georgia Children's Picture Storybook Award (Nominee) ―University of Georgia
Prairie Bud Children's Book Award (Nominee) ―South Dakota Library Association, South Dakota Reading Council, South Dakota State Library, South Dakota Elementary School Princ.
Volunteer State Book Awards (Nominee, Primary) ―Tennessee Association of School Librarians
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Publishers Weekly
The pair behind Dad, Jackie, and Me turn their attention to the harrowing events of Hurricane Katrina as seen through the eyes of a fictional child. Ten-year-old Louis Daniel is African-American and a horn player like his idol, Louis Armstrong. He goes to bed during a fierce storm and awakens to encroaching water. Bootman's dramatic oil paintings and the boy's first-person narration provide realistic immediacy as the boy's family makes its way through their flooded neighborhood on "a piece of someone's porch that was floating by." Uhlberg hints at the death toll: "y broom hit a pile of clothes. Mama covered my eyes. 'Don't look, Baby, ' she said. But I couldn't help looking." The dark-hued, realistic illustrations create a somber mood that refuses to lift even when the family finally reaches the Superdome. The boy's shiny cornet, saved from floodwaters, figures prominently in the family's experience at the chaotic stadium, giving comfort and continuity. Readers are in for a deeply personal and sometimes uncomfortable look at a disaster whose ramifications are still being felt. The book concludes with author notes and several photographs. Ages 7-11. (Aug.)
Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.School Library Journal
Gr 3-5--Louis Daniel, a 10-year-old African American boy named for famed New Orleans musician, Louis Daniel Armstrong, always keeps his cornet close at hand. When Hurricane Katrina strikes in 2005 and the levees break, Louis Daniel's father finds a floating piece of porch to ride upon. Keeping an eye out for 'gators, Louis paddles with a broom and the family moves through murky brown water and floating debris. Everything from a fake Christmas tree to a disturbing "pile of clothes" and a black and white dog float by. They take shelter in the airless, stinking, crowded, and chaotic Superdome. When his mom and he are separated from his father, Louis saves the day with his cornet. Narrator Brandon Gill gets the voice just right as the young boy's panic and frustration escalate in Myron Uhlberg's realistic fictionalized account (Peachtree, 2011) of a city overwhelmed by water and chaos. An author's note following the story provides the horrific statistics of the third most dangerous storm in U.S. history. Have the book available so students can peruse Colin Bootman's realistic oil paintings. Sure to provoke thoughtful discussions, this audiobook can also be used during weather units.--Lonna Pierce, MacArthur Elementary School, Binghamton, NY
Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.JUV001010 - Juvenile Fiction | Action & Adventure | Survival Stories
JUV029020 - Juvenile Fiction | Nature & the Natural World | Weather
New Orleans (La.)
Survival
Hurricane Katrina, 2005
Floods
