HURRICANE!

A serviceable title in the “Disaster” series financed in part by the Ontario Arts Council. The author describes several recent hurricanes including “Mitch,” “Hugo,” “Andrew,” and “Floyd,” lists the eight worst hurricanes in the past 500 years, discusses how hurricanes are formed and measured, and interviews scientists who study hurricanes in an effort to help people prepare for them. She includes a few experiments designed to demonstrate concepts described in the text. The impact of the full-color photographs is frequently diminished because of their small size and the decision to border each in a colored box, rather like snapshots in an album. The three-column text is readable, but often abbreviated and amazingly pedestrian given the dramatic content. Describing Hurricane “Mitch,” the author notes: “About 400 crocodiles escaped from a science institute, adding to the danger.” Surely a second sentence could be added to tell the reader what happened. Or, regarding another storm: “About 2000 people were buried in the torrent of mud.” And? The author concludes with a glossary and index. Since it lacks the drama and visual appeal of Patricia Lauber’s Hurricanes (1996) or Seymour Simon’s Storms (1989), this should only be purchased where additional materials are needed. (Nonfiction. 10-12)