ALL HANDS ON DECK!

Ordinary heroes dive into danger in this celebration of Hurricane Katrina’s Cajun Navy.

Around New Orleans and all along the Gulf Coast, a wide array of boats can be found. Here readers meet Bubba, a bass boat, Bennie, an airboat, and Sal, a speedboat. One day, a hurricane strikes Louisiana. The waves crash, the levees break, and suddenly there are too many people for the firefighters, police, and Coast Guardsmen to save. Initially Bubba, Bennie, and Sal feel helpless, but as word goes out for volunteers to help the people stranded, the boats feel the call of duty. As the backmatter relates, thousands of people were rescued thanks to this impromptu “Cajun Navy.” Additional information discusses the origins of hurricanes, the Cajun Navy’s ongoing efforts, and how to prepare before and keep safe during a hurricane. Much of Neubecker’s art is beautiful, as when the endpapers present New Orleans from above. However, these rescue boats have both eyeballs and sentience: “Bubba has an idea: ‘If all the little boats work together, we can do big things.’ ” The humans piloting them seem like afterthoughts. While the impulse to make this tale of disaster a child-friendly one is understandable, anthropomorphizing the boats detracts from the true heroism of the very real citizen rescuers. A straightforward retelling would have better served this history.

Unnecessary anthropomorphization mars what should be a stirring, heroic tale.