Tsunami

Gr 3--6--This book takes readers through Scout's very adventurous summer along the Pacific Ocean in Alaska. Scout and sidekick skunk know just what to do when they experience an earthquake followed by a tsunami warning and finally, the tsunami itself. The book provides a very thorough look at the types, history, causes, and effects of tsunamis. The explanations are clear and include charts and data to help readers understand. The conversational style and comic relief from the skunk sidekick will entertain readers when the scientific information gets overwhelming. The illustrations explain scientific innovations, like seismographs, and simple maps add to the reader's understanding. Also very helpful are the survival tips and advice for safety preparedness in the event of a disaster. Educators looking for lessons about natural disasters and plate tectonics will find this book very useful. Meant to aid in preparing for emergencies, the book accomplishes that goal, but may also leave some readers frightened; students may need reassurance about the likelihood and frequency of such disasters. The occasional German phrases might also be confusing to some. Serious earth scientists will appreciate the detailed diagrams and data. VERDICT Definitely good for those living in tsunami-prone areas in explaining to students what happens and how to prepare for safety. For all others, it's equally informative, but perhaps not immediately relatable.--Darby Wallace

A peaceful idyll on the Alaskan coast turns literally topsy-turvy for resourceful young Scout and her skunk companion. As in the previous book, the storyline serves as a base for an instructional manual on the causes of a natural disaster and best practices for surviving it. Though Scout is temporarily separated from her scientist mom when successive earthquake shocks leave the cabin in ruins and presage an oncoming tsunami, she's well prepared--both with knowledge of proper gear and procedures and with pithy but specific background lectures to her furry foil on relevant topics from plate tectonics and seismology to tsunami formation and characteristics. Young readers will easily absorb both thanks to the nicely balanced mixes of discourse, bantering dialogue, and simply designed and drawn cartoon scenes and schematics. Along with useful and enlightening details such as the recommended contents of a go-bag, how earthquakes are classified these days (not by the Richter scale), and the various causes of tsunamis besides earthquakes, the message that such large-scale phenomena are genuinely dangerous and need quick, smart action to survive comes through loud and clear. Scout returns in an appendix to remind readers about essential emergency supplies and guidelines and to offer a set of tsunami information sources. She and her mom present as white. Informative and suspenseful. (Graphic fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.