BIG WIND COMING!

A hurricane is coming: Grandpa knows it because something about the air feels strange, Grandma knows it because her cake falls, and the animals know it, too. Bessie the cow ``stood so still as if she was holding her breath. But the chickens kept squawking and wouldn't stop.'' A rural African-American family gets ready for the storm, boarding up windows and storing drinking water. Neighbors who live near the river come for the duration, bringing along their most valued possessions. When Sarah Ann can't find her doll, she runs out into the rising wind to look for it. She is dragged back just in time. Using concrete details and well-placed dialogue, English (Neeny Coming, Neeny Going, p. 225) conveys the suspense surrounding really big storms. Lucas's moody, windswept watercolors are a perfect match for the text. Most have textured streaks suggestive of wind and rain, but the illustration of children playing checkers while the eye of the storm passes has a smooth black background that captures the unearthly calm in the middle of chaos. A beautiful book. (Picture book. 5-8)