Review by Booklist Review
Teckentrup offers readers a lyrical introduction to weather, focusing on the sun, rain, ice and snow, and extreme weather events. Using conversational language that includes questions addressed to the reader, she touches on many details for each topic. Extreme Weather, for example, notes climate change and explains thunderstorms, tropical storms, hail, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, blizzards, drought, and fire. Each spread contains brief text and a large, frameworthy painting, often rendered in the style of the impressionists. She makes use of a wide color palette (depending on the mood conveyed), with humans, animals, and architecture taking a backseat to atmospheric conditions. Sometimes the text draws attention to a detail in the illustrations, which will assist adults in leading discussions and young readers in focusing on particular elements of the art. Additionally, flocks of birds appear in each chapter, unifying the presentation. Appended with a glossary and author's note, this is smoothly translated and makes a perfect introduction for readers just beginning to notice the world around them.--Weisman, Kay Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
German author-artist Teckentrup (Oskar and Mo) devotes four chapters of this long-format picture book to aspects of the weather: "Sun," "Rain," "Ice and Snow," and "Extreme Weather." Brief scientific facts ("When the air cools at night, the water vapor in the ground becomes dew") alternate with lyrical observations ("The setting sun spreads its golden light over the ground"). The pages offer anywhere from a single sentence to several short paragraphs opposite evocative, silkscreen-style landscapes and meditative views of skies brushed with clouds, snowflakes, and driving rain. The images create a sense of grandeur, but they're not detailed enough to represent cloud types or ice crystals, for example. Those interested in extreme weather may be disappointed by the calm, impressionistic representations of hurricanes and floods. The work is strongest when it looks at the way everyday weather makes humans feel and invites readers to reflect on their experiences. Each section finishes with questions: "Have you ever seen a sunset that seemed to fill the sky like a blanket of fire?" Climate change is broadly referred to toward the end but is not the book's main focus. Ages 7-up. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-5-Fans of Tree and Bee will recognize Teckentrup's bold and vibrant art style as she now introduces the topic of weather to readers. Although not as playful as her other books, this title explores the different elements of weather phenomena in four chapters: "Sun," "Rain," "Ice and Snow," and "Extreme Weather." In short lyrical prose, Teckentrup captures ephemeral sights: "Look at the clouds. Some look whispery and barely there. Others are puffy, like giant fleecy cotton balls." Her full-page and sometimes spread-size landscape illustrations evocatively convey the incredible variations and sheer power of weather. These range from the sometimes beautiful to the sometimes destructive. This illustrated nonfiction book captures the richness of our natural environment and invites young readers to observe and wonder about the world around them. ("Can you see the halo around the moon" What does it mean? Is it a sign of wet weather?") VERDICT This would work wonderfully as an introduction in a weather unit, as well as a lovely nature-themed read-aloud. Recommended.-Carole Phillips, Greenacres Elementary School, Scarsdale, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
We have such a strong connection to weather, we cant help but wonder about it. Across the next 150-plus pages, Teckentrups words and illustrations embody this connection, modeling curiosity and wonderment about sun, rain, snow, and extreme weather. Her journey meanders not only from topic to topic but also back and forth across the impulses toward reasoning and emotion that deep engagement with nature can evoke. Questions sprinkled throughout encourage readers to think about experiences both personal (Does rain make you want to run for cover? Or does it make you want to jump and splash in the puddles?) and global (Will extreme weather events become more common and widespread as the planet continues to warm and climates continue to change?). Moody, textured images play with the relationships among art, nature, and light to explore the nuances of weather phenomena. Rain appears as hard sheets of water, as eerie mists, or in a summery golden haze; vast expanses of sky are bright blue, winter white, or filled with snow, sleet, and hail. The details encourage both careful, continuous observation and appreciation for the endless varie-ties of weather. danielle j. ford (c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A visual compendium of weather phenomena offers some scientific explanations along with more personal reflections.Teckentrup's handsome full-color, full-page illustrations in a generous trim size offer a range of perspectives and moods that photographs might be hard-pressed to capture. A conversational, explanatory text supports the art, briefly describing the science behind rain or sunlight or wind. "We have such a strong connection to the weather, we can't help but wonder about it." An unseen narrator invites readers to consider their own experiences with weather: "Have you ever seen a glorious, clear summer sky and wondered why it is so blue?" The illustrations are divided into four sections: "Sun," "Rain," "Ice and Snow," and "Extreme Weather." Landscapes and townscapes depicted are in four-season temperate (rather than desert or tropical) zones. People and animals appear as distant shapes in a very few of the illustrations. The introduction to extreme weather notes that it "feels like someone turned up the volume on our regular weather," acknowledging human activity as the cause of the rapid warming of the planet. Thunderstorms, hail, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, and droughts are described, and this section ends with a question about the future. A 27-item glossary and an author's note acknowledging several classical landscape painters constitute the backmatter. An immersive, inviting mix of appealing art and information. (Nonfiction. 5-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
