A Storm Called Katrina by Myron Uhlberg and illustrated by Colin Bootman
Review by Chris Singer
About the author:
Myron Uhlberg is the critically acclaimed and award-winning author of a number of children’s books. He has authored five children’s books, among them the Schneider Family Award winner “Dad, Jackie, and Me.” He recently published a memoir of his life in Brooklyn, New York, growing up the oldest hearing son of deaf parents. A retired businessman, Uhlberg lives with his wife in CA.
About the illustrator:
Colin Bootman was born in Trinidad but moved to the United States at the age of seven. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York, he has illustrated numerous books for children, including Dad, Jackie, and Me. Almost to Freedom was a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book. Bootman lives in New York City.
About the book:
Ten-year-old Louis Daniel hates it when Mama treats him like a baby. But when Hurricane Katrina blows through the Gulf Coast on a fateful August night, followed by broken levees and rising floodwaters threatening New Orleans, Louis feels like a little kid again. With no time to gather their belongings save Louis s beloved horn Daddy leads the family from their home and into an unfamiliar, watery world of floating debris, lurking critters, a winsome black-and-white dog, and desperate neighbors heading for dry ground. Taking shelter in the already-crowded Superdome, Louis and his parents wait and wait. As the days pass, the electricity goes out, the air conditioning dies, the bathrooms are closed, and people around them begin to bicker as they run out of food and water. When Daddy fails to return from a scouting mission within the Dome, Louis knows he s no longer a baby. It s up to him to find Daddy, with the help of his prized cornet.
My take on the book:
Everything I’ve ever read by Myron Uhlberg has been outstanding and although my daughter is a bit young for some of them, I have been collecting them for her to read when she’s older. A Storm Called Katrina is no exception and might be Uhlberg’s most powerful book yet.
The power in this story comes through the eyes of ten-year-old Louis Daniel. We follow Louis’ journey with his parents after they are forced to leave their home to seek refuge at the Superdome. Through Louis, we see the fear, sadness, devastation and tough choices people face during a natural disaster.
It’s hard to believe Katrina happened 6 years ago (we’re coming up on the “anniversary” this August 29th) and while most of the country hasn’t thought about Katrina in a long time, the devastation is still very real for many as recovery is still ongoing in parts of New Orleans.
As such, the release of this book is very timely and along with the beginning of a new school year throughout most of the country, teachers can discuss the anniversary of Katrina with their students. I recommend teachers and librarians look to