Hurricane

The light-skinned child who narrates this follow-up to Blizzard and Blackout lives near a river and likes to fish off a rickety dock. When a hurricane is forecast, “today feels different. The air is still, and the sound of hammering echoes down the street.” As the adults prepare grimly, boarding up windows, the child stays upbeat: “I tell them that the best fishing comes right after a big storm.” But the hurricane causes significant loss—including to the beloved dock. Naturalistic spreads in Rocco’s signature style capture the peace of the child’s world and the drama of the hurricane’s arrival and aftermath. The story’s latter half becomes an absorbing maker tale as the neighborhood addresses the damage and puts things to rights. End pages detail how hurricanes form, how their strength is measured, and the components of a dock. Ages 4–8. (Sept.)