What do you think?
Rate this book
Habitats
Prairie Storms
Cozy up for a rainy day read and explore the prairie ecosystem through its ever-changing weather. Each month features a storm typical of that season and a prairie animal who must shelter, hide, escape, or endure those storms. Told in lyrical prose, this story is a celebration of the grasslands that dominate the center of American lands and the animals that live there.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published July 20, 2011
About the author
Darcy Pattison
138 books116 followersDARCY PATTISON (www.darcypattison.com) is published in ten languages.
Children’s book author Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, Junior Library Guild selections, and NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.
Children’s book author Darcy Pattison writes award-winning fiction and non-fiction books for children. Her works have received starred PW, Kirkus, and BCCB reviews. Awards include the Irma Black Honor award, five NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books, Eureka! Nonfiction Honor book, Junior Library Guild selections, and NCTE Notable Children’s Book in Language Arts. She’s the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor’s Arts Award for Individual Artist for her work in children’s literature.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 11, 2017
The narrative progresses from January through December, with each month showing a different animal from the prairie ecosystem. The various shelters the animals use, the types of weather they encounter, and the groups they live in are some of the facts shared. The illustrations show the animal, details of their habitat, and the typical weather for that month. Back matter contains more details about the grassland habitat, a map of where such habitats are found around the world, a vocabulary matching game with weather and seasonal words, and two true and false games to check for understanding.
October 6, 2011
Have you ever sat outside to watch the dark clouds build up and a storm roll in? This book about the prairie or grassland habitat details the different kinds of storms that normally come in each month of the year on the prairies and what various sorts of animals in that habitat do when they occur, such as the prairie chicken in a January snowstorm, the sand crane in a March tornado, the red fox in a May rain shower, the striped skunk in a July dust storm, the burrowing owl in an August cloudburst, and the bald eagle in a November ice storm. Other animals mentioned include the ground hog, prairie dogs, white tailed deer, the earless lizard, the cougar, and the bison. Other weather phenomena discussed include fog, a flash flood, a thunderstorm, heat lightning during a drought, hail, and blizzards. By the way, do you know what grassland prairies are called in South America?
The six “For Creative Minds” pages in the back feature more information about the grassland habitat, finding grasslands around the world, a weather and seasons matching activity, and questions about weather and seasonal changes relating to both animals and humans. The publisher’s website offers even more online resources for parents and teachers with sixty to seventy pages of cross-curricular teaching activities and three interactive reading and math quizzes all related to Prairie Storms and aligned to state standards. There are so many benefits in a book like this—familiarizing children with the months and seasons of the year, introducing them to the different kinds of inclement weather, and helping them understand more about the various sorts of wildlife which inhabit the prairie. Darcy Pattison’s lyrical prose text and Kathleen Rietz’s realistic illustrations make this celebration of the great American prairies a real winner.
The six “For Creative Minds” pages in the back feature more information about the grassland habitat, finding grasslands around the world, a weather and seasons matching activity, and questions about weather and seasonal changes relating to both animals and humans. The publisher’s website offers even more online resources for parents and teachers with sixty to seventy pages of cross-curricular teaching activities and three interactive reading and math quizzes all related to Prairie Storms and aligned to state standards. There are so many benefits in a book like this—familiarizing children with the months and seasons of the year, introducing them to the different kinds of inclement weather, and helping them understand more about the various sorts of wildlife which inhabit the prairie. Darcy Pattison’s lyrical prose text and Kathleen Rietz’s realistic illustrations make this celebration of the great American prairies a real winner.
August 14, 2011
I won a free copy of Prairie Storms through goodreads first read giveaway by author Darcy Pattison.
All four boys of my boys have enjoyed reading this book. We received it in the mail two days ago and we've read it at least twenty times since then.
The artwork, illustrated by Kathleen Rietz, beautifully brings the author's lyrical prose to life, accurately delineates each animal in the story and captures the storms in detail as they wreak havoc on the prairie pages.
I quickly noticed through our first read how this book covers the different elementary reading levels. This book would be great for primary teachers, homeschools, grandmas or any parent's home library.
For younger children, Prairie Storms, helps reinforce the months of the year, the four seasons, various storms, introducing 12 new animals, the prairie region/grasslands of the United States (and much more). For emerging and established and readers the lyrical prose is fun to read, opens the door for discussions on poetry, prose, imagery, and introduces new vocabulary and comprehension. The lesson enhancements included in the back of the book under the For Creative Minds section are a wonderful addition to the book for both parents and teachers alike. The activities are fun, educational, and well planned sources of further learning.
My boys have enjoyed discussing how these prairie animals prepare for the coming of these different storms. My favorite line from the book is in the month of December "The bison herd turns, facing into the teeth of the wind... The bison stand prairie-strong and defiant." Can't wait to incorporate this into our homeschool lessons this year!
All four boys of my boys have enjoyed reading this book. We received it in the mail two days ago and we've read it at least twenty times since then.
The artwork, illustrated by Kathleen Rietz, beautifully brings the author's lyrical prose to life, accurately delineates each animal in the story and captures the storms in detail as they wreak havoc on the prairie pages.
I quickly noticed through our first read how this book covers the different elementary reading levels. This book would be great for primary teachers, homeschools, grandmas or any parent's home library.
For younger children, Prairie Storms, helps reinforce the months of the year, the four seasons, various storms, introducing 12 new animals, the prairie region/grasslands of the United States (and much more). For emerging and established and readers the lyrical prose is fun to read, opens the door for discussions on poetry, prose, imagery, and introduces new vocabulary and comprehension. The lesson enhancements included in the back of the book under the For Creative Minds section are a wonderful addition to the book for both parents and teachers alike. The activities are fun, educational, and well planned sources of further learning.
My boys have enjoyed discussing how these prairie animals prepare for the coming of these different storms. My favorite line from the book is in the month of December "The bison herd turns, facing into the teeth of the wind... The bison stand prairie-strong and defiant." Can't wait to incorporate this into our homeschool lessons this year!
September 14, 2016
What do animals do during natural disasters? Darcy Pattison shows examples of what might happen using the prairie ecosystem. She uses weather changes on the prairie as month by month new challenges are brought to the animals there.
In a January snowstorm, a prairie chicken claws a nice roost beneath the snow drifts. An April flashflood finds prairie dogs hunkering down in their burrows beneath the ground as water crashes through their prairie dog village.
Illustrations by Kathleen Rietz bring the prairie animals to life. Thick pages add quality and longevity to the books in this series. They're sure to be read over and over.
The last six pages are for Creative Minds, offering interactive information on the grassland habitat, grasslands around the world, and weather and seasonal changes. Pattison's Prairie Storms webpage, http://prairiestorms.com/ offers quizzes, lesson plans and coloring pages.
May 24, 2012
I won this book as part of the Goodreads FirstReads giveaway. And I'm so glad.
My daughter is 4 and hasn't met an animal she didn't find fascinating (even snakes). This book has become a nightly read for us. She likes to learn about the animals and the artwork that goes with each page is beautiful. It has provided an opportunity for us to discuss different kinds of weather and what each one brings. With that it has opened up a chance for us to "research" and talk about animals in our area and what she thinks happens to them when certain weather comes through.
I think Ms. Pattison did an excellent job writing a book that engages to children to learn more and ask questions.
My daughter is 4 and hasn't met an animal she didn't find fascinating (even snakes). This book has become a nightly read for us. She likes to learn about the animals and the artwork that goes with each page is beautiful. It has provided an opportunity for us to discuss different kinds of weather and what each one brings. With that it has opened up a chance for us to "research" and talk about animals in our area and what she thinks happens to them when certain weather comes through.
I think Ms. Pattison did an excellent job writing a book that engages to children to learn more and ask questions.
August 2, 2011
Darcy Pattison has taken the 12 mnths of the year and shown the cycle of life on the prairie, as well as the weather cycle. She didn't stop there. She has filled the end of her book with lessons and activities that covers habitats, math, science, geography, reading. She provides online activities and resources and for those of us who are teachers, this book is geared to state standards. I look forward to putting this on the shelf for my grandkids and recommending it to the parents of my students who have little ones at home.
Read
February 18, 2016a layered creative nonfiction book about prairie animals, habitats, and weather. Month by month, with a different animal each month. Gentle word play: soft billows of fog blot out the sun, shed the sleet. Back matter includes info about grasslands around the world, as well as interactive sections of matching the weather picture to the definition, t/f questions about animals, and weather questions.
August 1, 2011
I love this book! You see the prairie through Darcy's words and you feel the strength and perseverance of each animal as they weather the different storms. The illustrations are beautiful.
I like the learning pages at the back of the book so you can find out even more about the prairie.
A definite must-have book!
I like the learning pages at the back of the book so you can find out even more about the prairie.
A definite must-have book!
April 6, 2013
12 months of prairie storms. 12 animals react to the changing seasons. Both words and pictures are wonderful.
The prairie stretches most of the length of North America so the seasons are off by a good month from Saskatchewan norms, but that's just another good opportunity for discussion with a child.
The prairie stretches most of the length of North America so the seasons are off by a good month from Saskatchewan norms, but that's just another good opportunity for discussion with a child.
December 10, 2015
Starting with January, each page reflects a different month and highlights an animal native to the grasslands as it endures a seasonal storm that takes place in varying forms. From Sleet storms and tornadoes, to dry spells and dust storms, this book is a brief commentary of midwest animals and the weather that effects their habitats.
August 2, 2011
This is a delightful picture book. It not only shows children weather during the various months of the year on the prairie but also on of the wonderful wildlife that lives there. The art work enhances the text.
September 7, 2012
I own almost all of the Sylvan Dell books. I cannot wait to add Prairie Storms to my library. Check out the website at www.sylbandellpublishing.com. My students love the hard copies, but they also love listening to the books on the fabulous read-along system on the website.
August 11, 2011
Prairie Storms creates a year’s journey through the prairie. I loved how the simple words and pictures engage the reader in the entire prairie experience from the animals to the weather. A great read!
May 29, 2012
Love all the resources in the back!
August 1, 2011
Very sweetly illustrated and the words flow beautifully. I can't wait to get a copy to share with my granddaughters!
June 30, 2012
Will use this in my 5th grade classroom for science curriculum! THANK YOU!
July 13, 2013
Beautifully written and the illustrations are darling. I love how lyrical it is.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews