Flood Warning

Orca Echoes

by Jacqueline Pearce

Tom loves running through cow fields with his best friend, Peggy, and his dog, Amos -- especially when he's pretending to be his favorite radio hero, the Lone Ranger. But when Tom learns the nearby Fraser River is about to flood, he may have to become a real-life hero and help save his family's herd of dairy cows. This story is based on real events that happened in the farming community of Agassiz during the Fraser River flood of 1948.

64 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

About the author

Jacqueline writes historical and contemporary fiction for children and teens, and is also a haiku poet. Her kids' books include Discovering Emily, about the childhood of artist, Emily Carr, Manga Touch, an easy-to-read YA novel that follows a teen girl's exchange trip to Japan, The Truth About Rats (and Dogs), a multi-cultural middle grade story about a boy who struggles against stereotypes and family expectations when he fosters a pet rat and prepares for a BMX bike competition, and Weeds and other stories, a short story collection in which the lives of urban teens intersect with nature in often unexpected ways. Jacqueline's non-fiction book, What Animals Want (written in consultation with the BCSPCA), is out fall 2021.

Jacquie's poetry can be found in a number of group collections, including A New Resonance 11: Emerging Voices in English-Language Haiku (Redmoon 2019). She is also editor of Last Train Home, an international collection of haiku, tanka, and rengay about trains and train travel (Pondhawk 2021). (Last Train Home, was written for adults, but middle grade and young adult readers will find many intriguing small poems within.)

Jacqueline lives on the edge of a ravine with her husband, daughter, dog and two cats, perched between nature and the city.

Reviews

[Victoria Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read! It is a realistic fiction story that could be used in a 3-5 classroom. This story is about a family who lives by a river and are preparing for a flood. As the story goes on the river rises and Tom, the young boy is dying to help the adults prepare their farm for the flood. His parents are reluctant about him working close to the river, but once the flooding begins he finds a way to help by saving a young calf. The family has to relocate their cattle to a graveyard, which is the only high hill in the community so there are multiple families and herds in the graveyard. After the flooding has drained, the family returns to their home to find their damaged house. While there is a lot to be upset about and a lot of repairs to be done, the family is thankful that no one was hurt, they didn't lose their cattle and they have their home to come back to.
I would use this book to introduce a science lesson on natural disasters. There are many communities impacted by natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornados and flooding and this book serves as an example of how much time is needed to prepare and the stress a family goes through before, during and after. A science activity students could do would be observing how different materials absorb water. Students could pour water onto sand, clay and soil and watch how each material absorbs water differently. Another activity would be working with different materials to see how we could prevent flooding. Students could use items such as rocks, grass, different soil types and other objects found in nature to try and stop a flow of water in a tub. This could help engineer a way to prevent flooding on a small scale.
This book was a WOW book for me because of the relevance it has in my life. During Hurricane Florence so many of my neighbors and friends had to evacuate their livestock to other areas or work on their farms to make conditions sustainable with the influx of water in an area where we were not used to it. This book was an accurate representation of how farm families are impacted by natural occurrences we have no control over.
*I read the E-Book version of this text on Tumblebooks*

[Tanya Kyi · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have a secret love of early chapter books like I do (or, okay, if you have a six-year-old in the house), Jacquie Pearce's Flood Warning is great. It's the story of the 1948 Fraser River flood, from the point of view of a resourceful boy who has to help his mother find a way to save their small herd of dairy cows from the encroaching water. Jacquie's writing is always lovely, and this is a page-turner of a mini-book. You'll have to read it all in one sitting.

[Suzanne Montigny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Terrific Story

First of all, I must say the illustrations of this book are amazing! Secondly, I loved the story, particularly since I grew up not far from Agassiz and could picture it all in my mind. What a wonderful story!

[Katie Michkiosky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book did a great job displaying friendship and loyalty between Tom, his friend Peggy, and dog Amos. It was a cute story about how the main character helped save his families herd of cows from the oncoming flood.

Organization & Voice

Lexile = 670L
DRA = N/A

[Ms Michelle Van Balkom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the story interesting but the gender dynamics disturbing. I'm not sure I agree with the message being sent to girls.

[Katelynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great historical fiction story with a lot of talking points for young readers. I was engaged the entire time. Tom’s character was relatable and interesting and I loved his dog. I do wish the book addressed some of the treatment towards women in it - not that they are poorly treated, but Tom’s friend Peggy evacuates instead of helping, etc. Perhaps this made sense for the time period, but this could have been addressed better. (This is a talking point I’ll bring up with the kids, though. Why didn’t Peggy stay and help? Which is the evacuation train for women and children? Would this happen today?)

[K.A. Wiggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great local history episode for young readers exploring Fraser River flooding in early farming communities.