Maxy survives the hurricane

PreS-Gr 2--An adorable brown dog experiences a hurricane in his country of Puerto Rico in this gently reassuring, bilingual picture book. Maxy lives in Puerto Rico with his human Clarita, her parents, and her grandparents, all of whom have brown skin and black or graying hair. Maxy enjoys playing with Clarita and snuggling with his favorite toy Mr. Bat. One day, he notices the humans rushing around and making preparations of all kinds, including putting Mr. Bat away, nailing windows, and buying supplies. Hurricane Maria arrives early in the morning and Maxy snuggles with Clarita as they both work through their fear. They emerge to find their beloved country in poor shape with downed wires, flooded streets, and no electricity. Slowly but surely, their life gets back to normal, but when another rain storm comes in, Maxy is afraid. His humans explain that not all rain means a hurricane and that rain and water are essential to life. This simple, straightforward tale will serve the dual purpose of providing a window for kids who haven't experienced a hurricane before and providing a mirror for kids who have. Cartoon-style illustrations reinforce the familiar, calming tone of the story. VERDICT Recommended for purchase in most library collections, particularly those where hurricanes and other extreme weather conditions are common.--Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood P.L., MA

A canine perspective on weathering a hurricane. Maxy is a happy dog who lives in Puerto Rico with Clarita, her parents, and her abuelos. His idyllic life of playing catch under the flamboyant tree and taking naps with his toy bat is threatened one day in September, when Clarita and her family begin preparing their house and laying in supplies for Hurricane María. As the storm makes landfall, Maxy shakes with fear, but Clarita is there to comfort her puppy. When the rain stops, the world has changed for the dog, his family, and their neighbors: The power is out for days, the streets are flooded, many homes are destroyed, and trees have been torn down--including Maxy and Clarita's favorite. Many days later the power is restored, and the refrigerators and fans start working again. Maxy is relieved! Will this ever happen again? When the rain starts falling again, Maxy starts to tremble, and his owner, quick to comfort him, shows Maxy all the reasons why rain is a good thing. Barinova's illustrations endear the puppy's plight to readers. But Clarita also survives the hurricane. And although it's important to remember pets during natural disasters, Chansky and Acevedo's bilingual story seems like a missed opportunity to center a human child of color's experience and their survival and recovery--tales that are badly needed. There are so many human stories to tell of Hurricane María that this dog's version feels slight. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.