Look at the Weather

by Britta Teckentrup, Shelley Tanaka (Translator)

When you stop to think about it, weather is incredible: it’s whimsical, varied, ever-present, sometimes destructive and other times, beautiful. This immersive illustrated nonfiction book is an invitation for readers to ponder weather and approach it with a newfound sense of understanding, awe, and wonder.

Through four chapters—sun, rain, ice and snow, and extreme weather—this book explores different weather phenomena, from rainbows and sunsets to clouds, frost, and rainstorms. Moments of distress and destruction are offset by the calm after a storm or the peaceful feeling of a blanket of fresh snow.

Evocative paintings convey the sheer power of weather, while lyrical text captures the richness of our natural environment. The book takes an inspiring tone rather than an exhaustive, factual one. The book explicitly makes the links between extreme weather, climate change, and human activity, and poses questions often, inviting young readers to observe and inquire about their own environment or to imagine other ones.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Childrens, Art, Stem

152 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2018

About the author

Britta Teckentrup was born in Germany and moved to England in 1988. She is the author and illustrator of many books for children. She now lives in Berlin with her husband and young son.

Reviews

[Mairita (Marii grāmatplaukts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Šī ir ļoti lielā mērā skatāma grāmata, jo skaistās ilustrācijas aizņem grāmatas lielāko daļu. Teksts ir vairāk izglītojošs, lai gan nosaukums rada mānīgu iespaidu par poētiskumu. Grāmata ļauj novērtēt mūsu klimata skaistumu, dažādību un arī bīstamo un nepatīkamo pusi.

[Moira Macfarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toen ik dit boek zag was het liefde op het eerste gezicht, oh zo mooi is de regen, de wind, de lucht, het landschap weergegeven en de mens zo nietig daarin. Adembenemend.
Met veel gevoel heeft Britta Teckentrup 'Het Weer' tot leven gebracht, net alsof ik alles ook werkelijk voel, hoor en ruik als ik de beelden zie. Om open te slaan als ik de weidsheid van de natuur mis, schoonheid van de melancholie.

De feiten: het boek telt 160 bladzijden en elk blad dat je omslaat bevat een beeld. Over het weer. En hoewel de tekst best nuchter vertelt over hoe het weer werkt, zijn het de beelden die het werkelijke verhaal vertellen, hoe nietig je je kunt voelen ten opzichte van de elementen.

Britta Teckentrup im Gespräch mit Ute Wegmann:
'Es fiel mir sehr viel schwerer, die Sonnenbilder zu machen, die Bilder, wo alles klar ist, wo es keinen Schatten gibt. Das Dunkle zieht mich an, wie das Licht fällt, die Schatten, das hat so etwas Uneindeutiges, was mich fasziniert.'

Voor een impressie van de binnenkant:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3OYLMvg4Ad/

[Inga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mans vērtējums ir neobjektīvs, jo es vīlos - gaidīju noskaņu grāmatu, kuru lasot justos, kā vasaras lietus laikā siena šķūnī, bet īstenībā tā vairāk ir ģeogrāfijas mācību grāmata ar skaistām bildēm.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seasons and weather juvenile picture book. Need to read this in more than one sitting.

[Ketija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skaista, skaista grāmata, kuras lapaspusēs patverties, lai smeltos ne tikai glītas ilustrācijas, bet arī izglītotos par to, kādu lietu nes dažāda veida mākoņi un ko mums dod vētras.

[Agris Fakingsons · Rating 4 out of 5]

..nejauši uzieta, bet ļoti krāšņa un pamācoša grāmata (ne tikai bērniem) :) patīkamas noskaņas bildēs un tekstos.

[Allyse Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cleaning Elleanna’s book shelf, I stumbled upon this. Every page brought me back to moments when I experienced each type of weather or walked beneath the trees with sun streaming through the leaves. Delightful little read. The illustrations are gorgeous.

[Elleanna Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book at a thrift store and bought it for the beautiful illustrations of different weather phases and seasons.

Have you ever thought about drawing a rainstorm? Or the wind through the pines?

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are beautiful and inspire a contemplative conversation about how we/children experience weather through their various senses. The book is overall too long for its intended audience though.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book both feeds a child's curiosity and encourages a sense of wonder about the world, and specifically it's weather. Feckentrup introduces the concept of weather as something that effects everyone and everything in the world, "We all share the same air and the same sun. The wind, rain, and clouds know no borders." The book is then broken into four sections: Sun, Rain, Ice and Snow, and Extreme Weather. Facts about each topic are presented in a manner that children can understand, and the author asks questions to get the reader thinking and reflecting too: "Can you see the sleet bouncing off the pavement? Can you hear the sound of cars sloshing through the puddles?" The beautiful and plentiful illustrations show the author's sense of wonder, and will draw readers in to look for small details like colorful umbrellas or a fox in the snow. This gem should be in every elementary school and public library. Highly recommended pre-K-gr. 5.

[Ashlyn Littlefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read this informational nonfiction book to Kindergarteners to teach them about different kinds of weather. This book has amazing pastel illustrations that show what each kind of weather looks like. If I were to teach Kindergarteners a lesson using this book, I would read it out loud and then take my students outside and look at how the weather is changing. It could be windy and rainy, or sunny and cloudy for example. There are so many types of weather that students can identify using this book. I would then have the students come back inside and draw a picture of how the weather was outside. Then, I would have the students share what they drew and see if anyone saw anything different. There are no issues of equity or diversity within this book.

[Grace]

"Look at the Weather" contains some light science explaining meteorology, but most of the text is padding and rambling (However, that may be due to the fact that the book is translated from German). The book's selling point are the illustrations, which mimic collages made out of pastel drawings, watercolors, and photography cutouts. The contrasting textures really do capture the moods and lighting one experiences during different weather phenomenon. More fun to look at than to read.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one hundred fifty pages is divided into four sections, the sun, rain, ice and snow, and finally extreme weather. While there is factual information found in these pages, it really is not a nonfiction title that will teach one lots of facts about the process of weather. It is, however, a beautiful book of many paintings illustrating. various weather situations of the landscape. Use this title for the lovely paintings.
Translation fro German.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Teckentrup's artwork. These pictures are definitely more minimalist and atmospheric than her other books like Oskar or Don't Wake Up Tiger. I can see adults appreciating this more than kids. The words are more of an invitation to observe the weather around us, rather than a scientific explanation. The book feels poetic. The art feels nuanced and abstract. A keeper for sure!

[Ms.Gaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book with simple explanations and appealing images, divided into 4 sections: Sun, Rain, Ice & Snow, Extreme Weather. The author occasionally asks questions to allow the reader a chance to reflect on particular elements of weather - "Some people love to feel the rain on their face...Do you?" Ages 5-9

[Audrey Sauble · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book with beautiful, minimalist illustrations. The text weaves its way through the changing weather patterns, from sun to rain to snow to other types of storms. It’s a hefty book and would be a longer read, but would still be fun as a read-aloud story—maybe broken up a bit depending on the children’s ages.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty long for a children's book, but I loved it all the same. The illustrations are at times haunting, other times, enchanting. There are brief descriptions on how weather plays a part in our lives, and other contributions of what creates specific weather events.

[Rhica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! It's wonderfully lyrical, asks questions of the reader, and has beautiful illustrations of weather we see all the time! I could imagine the wind blowing in my hair, and the stars setting the sky ablaze with light! I total win for a book!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and explanations about the different types of weather. Very rich in content and would need to be read over a series of sittings and may not translate to story time, but would definitely work in a more intimate settting.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

With sections on Sun, Rain, Ice and Snow, and Extreme Weather, Teckentrup takes us on a lyrical journey through nature in many types of weather. Coupled with the dreamy words and the gorgeous paintings, this book also contains solid information I can use in science class.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really love this title with dozens of atmospheric (pun intended) illustrations from Teckentrup. The "printmaking quality" is inviting whether of dark grey, rainy or snowy or stormy, or bright yellow sunshine sky and grass.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the simple artwork and text.

[Alice Ball · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful illustrations! A unique and lovely book exploring weather in four main segments: Sun, Rain, Snow and Extreme.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautifully illustrated book is a great introduction to basic aspects of weather.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations in this large, non-fiction book for kids

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a good book for teachers for a weather unit.

[Elizabeth Chang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to weather. Loved the simplistic illustrations and the way the author would ask questions leaving you with a sense of wonder...krb 8/8/18

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Easy to read but a little longer. Would be great in a classroom. Perfect combination of fact and wonder.

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I kept reading this in my head in the voice of either Werner Herzog or Bob Ross...the art and the tone combined are so gentle & relaxing! Also, it made me want to go camping.