When the Storm Comes by Linda Ashman

Abstract

Reviewed by: When the Storm Comes by Linda Ashman Deborah Stevenson, Editor Ashman, Linda When the Storm Comes; illus. by Taeeun Yoo. Paulsen/Penguin, 2020 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-399-54609-9 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-399-54610-5 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs There’s a storm approaching, in this rhyming narrative, and people and animals are preparing: “We count supplies./ We check the news./ We find our comfort spot. We s n o o z e.” Soon the storm arrives (“Then lightning cracks,/ And thunder ROARS”), but then eventually “the sun comes out and it’s calm at last,” and everybody heads back outside for cleanup and celebration. Ashman’s poetry is gentle yet precisely metered, and the treatment of storms at sea as well as land and the focus on both animals and humans bring additional perspective to the exploration. Digital and pencil art has the grainy texture of prints and the blocky flavor of collage; the setting is a small coastal town with a New England flair, perfect for the shifts between shore and ocean and picturesque in white clapboard houses and green hills. Use this in a weather unit, or share it to soothe the nervous as storms roll in. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois