Little Cloud: The Science of a Hurricane

by Johanna Wagstaffe, Julie McLaughlin (Illustrations)

Follow our little cloud on an adventure through the sky and learn the science behind how it transforms from a simple cumulus cloud to a full-blown hurricane. Beautifully detailed illustrations from award-winning artist Julie McLaughlin integrate science with storytelling. Children will enjoy finding new gems of information even after several reads, thanks to a whimsical and rich layout. And meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe weaves a comprehensive narrative about a powerful weather system that's so compelling readers won't even realize they are on their way to becoming budding meteorologists.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 18, 2020

About the author

Johanna Wagstaffe is the meteorologist and science host for CBC Vancouver and CBC News Network. With a background in seismology, geophysics and earth science, Johanna has covered a wide range of science stories, from the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire and the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami to the Paris Climate Change Conference. She lives in Vancouver.

(source: Amazon)

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute little book about the science of hurricanes. It's not too heavy on the text, which is nice, and the text that's there is highlighted by playful illustrations.

If I have one complaint, it's that the hurricane's name is referred to before he's actually given a name. That could be confusing to some readers.

Other than that, though, this is a really strong non-fiction title. Hopefully kids will read it and maybe correct their parents' ignorance: "No, Dad, that's not a chemtrail. That's just a cirrus cloud."

Thank you to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing a digital ARC.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this picture book, which takes the challenging task of not only teaching children about hurricanes but also of making them less scary, and does it in a way that's sweet, colorful, cute and quite informative. The artwork is gorgeous and the little cloud is actually likeable as he travels across the ocean and gets strong enough to get a name (Nate). The book teaches kids how hurricanes form and what weakens and slows them, how and why they're named, what the categories of hurricanes are and much more, all in very simple and non-threatening spreads. The end gives more bite-sized but thorough information about hurricanes and also mentions that climate change is causing more of them, ending on a hopeful note about the importance of learning about climate change and how learning helps us make changes and improve things ("Who knows, maybe you'll help save an entire city from a hurricane some day!"). This is such a great way to convey the climate change message in a time when it sometimes seems like kids are the only ones who are scared about it and so many children's books seem determined to make them even more fearful. The book was written by a meteorologist and she talks a little about this at the end, too.

All together, this is just the perfect blend of good scientific information and fun, sweet picture book. The vivid, happy art adds to the book, too, taking a scary topic (especially for kids in hurricane prone areas) and giving them knowledge without feeling like a boring lesson and also taking away a lot of the scariness without diminishing the risks. Highly recommended.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Documentary disguise as a story book. Not the biggest fan of those, an element is always let down and the balance rarely achieve. In this case the story felt very pale compare to the informative part. If you,re looking for a story pass on this one, if you,re looking for information about cloud and hurricane formation for very little children then you might have a look. But for me, overall, it's not a book I would recommend!

[***Book Lady *** · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations and the weather facts were wonderful. It would be hard for a little one to understand that the friendly little cloud could want to get so strong and able to destroy homes and people's lives. The good friendly little cloud could turn into the scary bad destroying cloud of a hurricane.

[Sharon Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Cloud: The Science of a Hurricane is a children's nonfiction book written by Johanna Wagstaffe and illustrated by Julie McLaughlin. It is currently scheduled for release on February 18 2020. Follow our little cloud on an adventure through the sky and learn the science behind how it transforms from a simple cumulus cloud to a full-blown hurricane. Children will enjoy finding new gems of information even after several reads, thanks to a whimsical and rich layout. The story is a comprehensive narrative about a weather system with lovely illustrations that combine storytelling with weather facts.

Little Cloud is an engaging nonfiction picturebook for a wide range of readers. I thought the story of the cloud traveling and changing as he grows is well told, and can capture the attention of younger readers that might not grasp the science information. I found that even though I thought I was well versed in hurricanes and the science, I still learned a few interesting facts about the monitoring of hurricanes. I enjoyed the artwork, and thought that McLaughlin's illustrations were wonderful and helped to focus the attention on the story and the information included. I think this book will be a hit among weather loving kids, and could be a great teaching tool in homes or classrooms when storms are in the news.

[Sheri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good science resource book about clouds for primary grade teachers leading the with clouds and the storms they are part of leading up to a hurricane. Scientific principles of storms, precipitation, hurricane categories, and weather forecasting. Good non-fiction choice and is written at easy grade level.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very well illustrated, and explained.
Why I can't rave over it, I think it makes a hurricane sound like a "Nice friendly 185 MPH destructive wind!" Nate is your friend, he will just blow you house, trees and pets away... I just hope it doesn't give kids a false impression of such a powerful storm.

Besides that...it is a good informative book!

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the beautifully illustrated story about a little cloud that became a hurricane. Different cloud formations are shown, and the science of weather is simply explained. Weather Facts are added for older readers or for adult readers to explain to children in a way they can understand. The little cloud is carried along on the breeze and as it moves through different geography and air currents, it changes and develops serious weather and cycles through to calm again.
In the back of the book are two FACT PAGEs. Very interesting.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is very informative and the pictures are cute but show what actually happens as well as helping to explain some interesting facts. One thing I found difficult was the really small font of the Weather Facts.

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Informational and neat, but not really a “storybook”—that part gets lost with all the interruptions, which are hard to avoid. Some of the story versus sidebar content is repetitive. 5 1/2-year-old liked; 2 1/2-year-old didn’t quite make it.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to my 6yo: "that was very sciency!" (That is a good review for her!)

[Bella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Matches with bc’s revised Grade 2 science curriculum.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good information, basic overview that skims over a lot of issues

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute nonfiction book, perfect for younger kids who love weather and science. My 7 year-old really enjoyed this one.

[Gata Leitora / Cat reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the idea of this book very interesting to show how a storm forms, but I found the language a bit technical and adult even for a bigger child. I believe an adult reading can better adjust for the child to understand because the graphics are fantastic and very clear.

[Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was cute, but the format made it hard to see how all of the “weather facts” would appear in the final book.

The illustrations were adorable and I really enjoyed them. The story itself was good, but it was a little confusing for me because Nate wanted to be powerful and hit land, but didn’t want to scare people. The “weather facts” were informative, but read like a textbook, not a children’s book.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn’t really work. Nate is a cloud that wants to be a hurricane. The author makes Nate out to be a nice friendly fellow who just wants to grow big and strong. However, this book is loaded with all kinds of science facts about hurricanes, which are more depressing, and true life. I think if they had made this book about a kid learning about hurricanes it would have worked better. The author tries to make the bad guy the good guy. And at this age level, it just does not work.

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Cloud: The Science of a Hurricane explains the stages a cloud goes through as it progresses into a full blown hurricane. Written by meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe, the book is packed with facts paired with beautiful illustrations by Julie McLaughlin.
I read this book with my seven year old son and despite it being a lot of information for a child, the book held his interest. Great book for little learners.

[Amber Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Cloud is a beautiful and fact-filled story about how a cloud turns in to a hurricane. The book is put together in a way that is enticing and engaging for the reader and perfectly combines story and illustration with fact. I can't wait to add this to my non-fiction collection!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute book! Finding fun informational books about the water cycle and weather that are easy to read and understand is not always easy. I really liked the fun illustrations and the simplicity of this book and can't wait to share it with my littlest readers.