Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday 8.26.15 Katrina

I am excited to join Alyson Beecher and other friends in this weekly challenge.  Finding great nonfiction picture books isn't a challenge anymore, there are so many wonderful books to be read now!  The challenge is sharing them with as many people as possible so they can find this wealth of literature to share with our young readers.  Thanks to Aly for starting this weekly link-up and thanks to all who join in!  See all of the posts at kidlitfrenzy.

This weekend will be the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation she left in Louisiana and Mississippi.  I remember it well, watching it on TV, as I held my newborn baby girl.  I was in a state of unrest, yet a happy state of being tired.  And here were people who were exhausted, but for a very very different reason.  

I've recently come across some books that share the devastation of Katrina.

First, here's a book that gives students a great overview of hurricanes.  If there is a nonfiction book by Melissa Stewart, you know you are in great, scientific hands.  What I enjoy about her books is she has clearly spoken with educators and young readers and know how to talk about complex subjects with them.  She breaks tough subjects and ideas into manageable pieces.  Try this "Let's Read and Find Out" title to give students some background on the subject.

Hurricane Watch

By Melissa Stewart

Illustrated by Taia Morley

I was excited to see Don Brown's new book was about Hurricane Katrina.  With it being a newer topic, it's great to have information for readers about this event, and to have books written in a variety of formats to give to students.  I enjoy Don Brown's graphic novel formats for his retelling of historical events.  Another benefit of this book is a portion of the sales go to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity.

This book gives a brief overview of the origins of Katrina and its timeline leading up to landfall in Louisiana.  As in other Don Brown's books, he doesn't skim over the nitty-gritty details, but he also doesn't give unnecessary details, either.  I appreciate this in books for young readers.  Students need to understand the facts about events, without gory details.  If they don't fully understand historical events, the impact is lost on them.

The organization of the book is important.  Brown gives the date as a heading which helps readers understand not only the timeline of the storm, but of the evacuation and eventual clean-up.

I've read recent fiction to know about some of the details, as well as recall what I saw on the news 10 years ago:  the flooding, looting, levees, people evacuating, people trying to find refuge at the Superdome, the Convention Center.

Things I didn't know:  more than 200 police officers were investigated for leaving their posts, the horrible communication between the federal government, FEMA and the state of Louisiana, how many people evacuated (about 80%) vs. how many people stayed (about 200,000), how so many states in the southern U.S. helped take care of evacuees.  

I thought it was important that while the book covered the atrociousness of the event, it also sprinkled in some of the important things people did for each other during this time.

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans

by Don Brown

Scholastic's "Discover More" series is a newer series and one I've spotlighted in the past.  Covering relevant topics and interests, it also strives to reach all readers.  A new book in the series is Hurricane Katrina.  This book explains the facts to young readers about the devastation of Katrina without being graphic.  The photographs show pictures of the disaster and includes captions to give additional information.  This would be a book you could use with younger readers, 1st-3rd grade.
A discrepancy I found between this book and Don Brown's is this one said 100,000 people stayed in New Orleans during Katrina.  Brown's states it was 200,000.  

Hurricane Katrina

by Gail Tuchman

Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans by Phil Bildner is a Hurricane Katrina story that talks about just one man - Cornelius Washington.  Known to be an energetic streets and sanitation worker, Cornelius embodied what the spirit of New Orleans was all about - the energy, the magic and the people.  Helping to clean up after the hurricane and get people volunteering by using his energy and spirit was just a small story of how people came together after this act of destruction.

Marvelous Cornelius

by Phil Bildner

Illustrated by John Parra

A non fiction picture book that covers Katrina that I have not been able to get my hands on yet:


Over in the Wetlands: A Hurricane-on-the-Bayou Story
by Caroline Starr Rose


There have also been some great fiction middle grade novels that address this topic.


Another Kind of Hurricane 
by Tamara Ellis Smith


Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere 
by Julie T. Lamana


Zane and the Hurricane 
by Rodman Philbrick


One final picture book is


Eight Dolphins of Katrina: A True Tale of Survival 
by Manet Wyman Coleman