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Cyclone
Outside, a giant groans and growls,
A wind that batter, shrieks and howls.
A crack, a lurch, our house is torn
Ripped to paper by the storm.
From the award-winning creators of Flood and Fire comes Cyclone, a stunning tribute to the Darwin families whose indomitable spirit triumphed after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
A wind that batter, shrieks and howls.
A crack, a lurch, our house is torn
Ripped to paper by the storm.
From the award-winning creators of Flood and Fire comes Cyclone, a stunning tribute to the Darwin families whose indomitable spirit triumphed after Cyclone Tracy in 1974.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published February 1, 2016
52 people want to read
About the author
Jackie French
320 books865 followersJackie is an award-winning writer, wombat negotiator and the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2014-2015. She is regarded as one of Australia’s most popular children’s authors, and writes across all genres - from picture books, history, fantasy, ecology and sci-fi to her much loved historical fiction. In her capacity as Australian Children’s Laureate, ‘Share a Story’ will be the primary philosophy behind Jackie’s two-year term.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
April 9, 2017
Jackie French has once again teamed up with Bruce Whatley to produce a moving tribute to a community rattled and broken by Cyclone Tracey and the devastation it left behind on what should of been one of the happiest days of the year.
Before I go too much into this book, I'm going to point out that I wasn't born when this catastrophic cyclone hit Darwin in December of 1974. And although I'd heard about Cyclone Tracey and knew a bit of background knowledge about it, this picture book pointed out just how little I knew and understood the reality of a cyclone to be. I can't imagine what those poor people who endured this beast dealt with and lost, but I do now have some basic understanding of the horrific environmental event and the lasting impact it had on the community.
The first thing that stood out for me with this book was the beautiful dedication from Jackie French. French dedicates this book to a man she spoke to who lost so much - his house was destroyed and his community desolated - but kept his spirit and was lucky as his family survived. He spoke to French just after the cyclone, and once again when his family returned to the community and in many ways, this book is his story. French dedicates the book
to [...] those who suffered not just Cyclone Tracy but the anguished months after, to all the heroes who stayed to rebuild this shattered town, and to all those who had the courage to return: this book is yours.
So already we know this book is going to be about the tragic event that robbed Darwin of Christmas in 1974, but also the aftermath of the event. An inclusion which is not only powerful, but poignantly moving, which also serves to keep the narrative and picture book both as historically correct as possibly and yet still suitable for children to read without the fear of trauma and too much sadness.
Cyclone is the story of Cyclone Tracy as it ripped through Darwin on Christmas Eve of 1974. It's a story about expectations, fear, loss, family, one's home town and how one community rebuilt it self back up in the face of such devastation. It's a story of hope and possibility. Told through French's iconic words and Whatley's trademark full double page illustrations, the book itself is a beautiful, heartbreaking and uplifting sight to behold.
The narrative starts with hope and cheer as one family celebrates Christmas Eve despite the threatening grey skies that take over most of the page, and indeed most of the book. Things turn bad quickly with the storming ripping quickly through the book, a crippling mess of bleak and dark images left in it's wake as the traumatic event unfolds. But not all hope is lost, and the entire book isn't all doom and gloom, for French and Whatley have gone to great length's to produce a story that is true to history, and yet one that offers hope as new life returns
house's grow now day by day.
Obviously going into this book I had some expectations of what to expect having seen the cover and reading French's dedication ... but they were nowhere close to what was before me on the pages. Whatley's illustrations were dark and gloomy, double page spreads that screamed a stormy and wild night that would in normal cases be considered rather miserable and 'sad'. But it was French's text that knocked me immediately for six:
Pile the presents by the tree
Though clouds spiral out at sea.
Wind snarls, skies weep grey
But Santa's Sleigh is on it's way.
How can wind hurt Christmas Day?
Ignore the storm as rain pelts down
on parties across Darwin town.
You can almost feel the communities happiness and positivity glowing through the text and I for one would have been thinking along the same lines of them. A bit of rain? So what. But you know these characters and people are/were in for so much worse that it kind of made me stop and think, a heavy sense of dread creeping into my stomach. A cyclone of this proportion is the last thing anyone would expect at Christmas!
The story continues on to vividly recreate the sensory experiences of the storm as a family huddle first inside their house and then under their barbecue:
A Crack, a lurch our house is torn
Ripped to paper by the storm.
Roof snatched up, our presents, tree.
Hand in hand we try to flee.
Slashed and bitten by debris.
...
Huddle in our barbeque
Dad crouches to protect us too.
Combine this with Whatley's whirlwind illustrations and you can't help but feel right then in the moment. Which is a testimony to both French and Whatley's skill in bringing the story to life on the page.
The narrative continues with the family enduring the Christmas Eve from hell, before the storm passes and a sun dawns a new day. With most of the community evacuated, a few brave souls stay behind to rebuild the town and make it safe again.
While French's story is profound, I think it's Whatley's illustrations that stand out in this book. His illustrations start murky full of greying skies and miserable weather before growing quite dark as the cyclone hits Darwin full force. But once the storm clears, so does the darker elements of both French's story and Whatley's illustrations. For colour starts to slowly seep back onto the page with the dawning of a new day and the arrival of help. The narrative finishes having covered the storm's approach to the rebuilding of the town and the community's return back home where light and colour return to the narrative giving the town and it's people (and the little readers at home) hope and a happy ending:
Christmas trees and lights appear,Santa Claus will come this year.
Cyclone is not your stereotypical bright and bubbly picture book. Instead it features darker coloured illustrations and covers a period of destruction and loss rarely seen in children's books, but it's also uplifting and true to life, a point that Jackie French makes sure to never shy away from in her work. It's a perfect example of the harsh and unpredictable reality of the weather and poignant reminder not to take anything for granted.
A perfect guide for children learning about the weather/environment and some of Australia's history dealing with forces outside of our control.
Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have teamed up to create a variety of children's picture books on natural disasters in Australia. The list includes : Flood, Fire and Cyclone.
Reviewed as part of the Australian Women Writer's Challenge 2016.
This review was first posted on my blog - The Never Ending Bookshelf - on Wednesday 9th March 2016 and can be found here http://wp.me/p3yY1u-NJ
Before I go too much into this book, I'm going to point out that I wasn't born when this catastrophic cyclone hit Darwin in December of 1974. And although I'd heard about Cyclone Tracey and knew a bit of background knowledge about it, this picture book pointed out just how little I knew and understood the reality of a cyclone to be. I can't imagine what those poor people who endured this beast dealt with and lost, but I do now have some basic understanding of the horrific environmental event and the lasting impact it had on the community.
The first thing that stood out for me with this book was the beautiful dedication from Jackie French. French dedicates this book to a man she spoke to who lost so much - his house was destroyed and his community desolated - but kept his spirit and was lucky as his family survived. He spoke to French just after the cyclone, and once again when his family returned to the community and in many ways, this book is his story. French dedicates the book
to [...] those who suffered not just Cyclone Tracy but the anguished months after, to all the heroes who stayed to rebuild this shattered town, and to all those who had the courage to return: this book is yours.
So already we know this book is going to be about the tragic event that robbed Darwin of Christmas in 1974, but also the aftermath of the event. An inclusion which is not only powerful, but poignantly moving, which also serves to keep the narrative and picture book both as historically correct as possibly and yet still suitable for children to read without the fear of trauma and too much sadness.
Cyclone is the story of Cyclone Tracy as it ripped through Darwin on Christmas Eve of 1974. It's a story about expectations, fear, loss, family, one's home town and how one community rebuilt it self back up in the face of such devastation. It's a story of hope and possibility. Told through French's iconic words and Whatley's trademark full double page illustrations, the book itself is a beautiful, heartbreaking and uplifting sight to behold.
The narrative starts with hope and cheer as one family celebrates Christmas Eve despite the threatening grey skies that take over most of the page, and indeed most of the book. Things turn bad quickly with the storming ripping quickly through the book, a crippling mess of bleak and dark images left in it's wake as the traumatic event unfolds. But not all hope is lost, and the entire book isn't all doom and gloom, for French and Whatley have gone to great length's to produce a story that is true to history, and yet one that offers hope as new life returns
house's grow now day by day.
Obviously going into this book I had some expectations of what to expect having seen the cover and reading French's dedication ... but they were nowhere close to what was before me on the pages. Whatley's illustrations were dark and gloomy, double page spreads that screamed a stormy and wild night that would in normal cases be considered rather miserable and 'sad'. But it was French's text that knocked me immediately for six:
Pile the presents by the tree
Though clouds spiral out at sea.
Wind snarls, skies weep grey
But Santa's Sleigh is on it's way.
How can wind hurt Christmas Day?
Ignore the storm as rain pelts down
on parties across Darwin town.
You can almost feel the communities happiness and positivity glowing through the text and I for one would have been thinking along the same lines of them. A bit of rain? So what. But you know these characters and people are/were in for so much worse that it kind of made me stop and think, a heavy sense of dread creeping into my stomach. A cyclone of this proportion is the last thing anyone would expect at Christmas!
The story continues on to vividly recreate the sensory experiences of the storm as a family huddle first inside their house and then under their barbecue:
A Crack, a lurch our house is torn
Ripped to paper by the storm.
Roof snatched up, our presents, tree.
Hand in hand we try to flee.
Slashed and bitten by debris.
...
Huddle in our barbeque
Dad crouches to protect us too.
Combine this with Whatley's whirlwind illustrations and you can't help but feel right then in the moment. Which is a testimony to both French and Whatley's skill in bringing the story to life on the page.
The narrative continues with the family enduring the Christmas Eve from hell, before the storm passes and a sun dawns a new day. With most of the community evacuated, a few brave souls stay behind to rebuild the town and make it safe again.
While French's story is profound, I think it's Whatley's illustrations that stand out in this book. His illustrations start murky full of greying skies and miserable weather before growing quite dark as the cyclone hits Darwin full force. But once the storm clears, so does the darker elements of both French's story and Whatley's illustrations. For colour starts to slowly seep back onto the page with the dawning of a new day and the arrival of help. The narrative finishes having covered the storm's approach to the rebuilding of the town and the community's return back home where light and colour return to the narrative giving the town and it's people (and the little readers at home) hope and a happy ending:
Christmas trees and lights appear,Santa Claus will come this year.
Cyclone is not your stereotypical bright and bubbly picture book. Instead it features darker coloured illustrations and covers a period of destruction and loss rarely seen in children's books, but it's also uplifting and true to life, a point that Jackie French makes sure to never shy away from in her work. It's a perfect example of the harsh and unpredictable reality of the weather and poignant reminder not to take anything for granted.
A perfect guide for children learning about the weather/environment and some of Australia's history dealing with forces outside of our control.
Jackie French and Bruce Whatley have teamed up to create a variety of children's picture books on natural disasters in Australia. The list includes : Flood, Fire and Cyclone.
Reviewed as part of the Australian Women Writer's Challenge 2016.
This review was first posted on my blog - The Never Ending Bookshelf - on Wednesday 9th March 2016 and can be found here http://wp.me/p3yY1u-NJ
December 18, 2020
Wow. What an absolutely beautiful book.
This may be a picture book for older children but it is a treasure for adults too.
It is short, as picture books are, but it packed an incredible emotional punch. I was tearing up as I read it.
Jackie french captures the true story of the devastating damaged caused by Cyclone Tracy in 1974 in such a beautiful and heart felt way. And the pictures that accompanies the story are incredible.
I highly recommend this book.
This may be a picture book for older children but it is a treasure for adults too.
It is short, as picture books are, but it packed an incredible emotional punch. I was tearing up as I read it.
Jackie french captures the true story of the devastating damaged caused by Cyclone Tracy in 1974 in such a beautiful and heart felt way. And the pictures that accompanies the story are incredible.
I highly recommend this book.
October 30, 2020
Fascinating and powerfully evocative. I found myself crying when I put the book down. Beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. It's a wonderful historical reference of this remarkable and tragic event in Darwin's recent history.
October 22, 2021
Wow! Hope amongst the chaos. A community brought together as lives are thrown into turmoil after the devastation of Cyclone Tracy. Beautifully written in rhyme by Jackie French with incredible illustrations by Bruce Whatley.
December 28, 2024
This year marks the 50th anniversary of this terrible incident that will be forever linked together with Christmas time in Australia. With brilliant illustrations this book allows younger readers to understand what happened without any traumatic details.
June 27, 2017
Brilliant account of Cyclone Tracy for young readers.
March 8, 2020
Cyclone Tracy happened before I was born, but this picture book captures the event beautifully in muted sepia tones that evoke photos of the time. Lovely rhyming too.
April 29, 2021
The book is about Cyclone Tracy which occurred in 1974 on Christmas Day. A great story to teach children about cyclones.
May 1, 2023
I thought the story was sad but I’m happy they moved somewhere safe and secure from cyclones.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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August 1, 2016My class are studying Jackie French in Literacy for the first half of this term. She is a very interesting and talented lady. Even my very reluctant year 5 boy readers are loving her work. Part of the unit is an information report on a natural disaster in Australia. They are loving finding out about all of these things.
May 7, 2016
Jackie French and Bruce Whatley team up to tell the story of Cyclone Tracey which devastated Darwin at Christmas 1974. A great companion to the remarkable Flood and Fire.
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http://astrongbeliefinwicker.blogspot...
March 6, 2016
Love the way these picture books are presented. Beautiful
July 15, 2017
Beautiful tribute to the survivors of Cyclone Tracy. Must read. Wonderfully fitting illustrations.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews