Hurricane Wolf by Diane Paterson

32 p., Whitman, 2006. A hurricane is scary, but with help from their parents, children can cope. Noah copes with a hurricane by drawing, verbalizing his feelings (likening the hurricane to a big, bad wolf, shouting at it to go away), helping his parents prepare their house, asking them for information, tracking the hurricane with his parents on the computer and TV, and turning his flashlight on sometimes to reassure his cat and dog. The story shows the family’s preparations and follows the hurricane’s progress over the house. Noah’s parents give helpful, reassuring, age-appropriate answers to his questions; for example, when he asks where birds go during hurricanes, his mother replies, “’They know what to do. Some find safe spots nearby and some fly far away.’”Afterward, Mom reassures Noah that the trees and plants that were damaged will grow back, and they can fix other things. As the story ends, Noah is helping to restore the house to its pre-hurricane state. An informational afterword gives facts about hurricanes and explains how to be safe. Illustrated with vibrant, expressive watercolors, this story offers information, reassurance, and ways to cope with this disaster. Ages 5-9

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