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A True Book
Hurricane Katrina
Explore the events of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused in New Orleans, the global efforts to help the victims, and the rebuilding efforts. A True Natural Disasters series investigates the events leading up to a disaster, explores the causes, and ponders how the events changed, or could alter, history. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study.
48 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
37 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 29, 2023
I found this book at the University of Kentucky Education Library. It is an informational nonfiction book. This means it is true information. On the book's cover, we see a house in flood water, with a message written on the roof, saying “Please help us”. The book contains 4 short chapters, and has a total of 43 pages, with a list of important words and notes about the author after. In addition, there is a true/false question on the first page, and by the end of the book, it appears again with the answer, which you learn from reading the book! This book covers Hurricane Katrina- where it hit, why it was so damaging, issues with rescues, and how New Orleans rebuilt. One specific fact that I learned after reading this book is that Hurricane Katrina hit states in addition to Louisiana! I had no idea the hurricane affected Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama, as well! Although the book chapters, I would consider it a picture book for older readers, or a transitional title. There is lots of text, however, there are lots of pictures, too. The illustrations are real (not animated) and have lots of bright colors. Within the book, there is text, as well as small blurbs of text within the pictures, captions under the pictures, and facts. At the end of the book, there is a resource page, which lists books used to help write “Hurricane Katrina”, as well as the organizations and websites utilized for information. This book was very informative, as I knew about Hurricane Katrina, yet, I still learned many new facts after reading this book! I think this book would do well in an upper elementary school classroom, such as 3rd-5th. It has lots of text, but breaks it up in blurbs and with pictures to encourage independent reading! Overall, I gave this book 5/5 stars. The sources used to write the book were credible, the book was very informative, and interesting to read!
May 15, 2018
I really liked this concept and survey information book. There were clear pictures with captions, a glossary, and an index to all help tell the story about the devastating natural disaster of Hurricane Katina. Did you know there will never be another hurricane named Katrina? This is because when a hurricane causes extensive damage and deaths, that name becomes taken.
This would be a great book for kids who are learning about weather, natural disasters, or are just curious about tragedies in history.
This would be a great book for kids who are learning about weather, natural disasters, or are just curious about tragedies in history.
May 7, 2021
EXCELLENT for Grade-school reading levels!
July 11, 2011
Nonfiction Detectives Blog
Students frequently come to the library in search of books about tragedies from history, and now True Books is offering a series to meet the needs of those inquisitive young readers. The True Book- Disasters series penned by Peter Benoit covers a range of events such as the earthquake in Haiti, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the BP oil spill, and nuclear meltdowns in addition to events from our more distant past.
Benoit does not shy away from difficult facts in Hurricane Katrina; the book sheds light on this devastating event from 2005 in a clear and thoughtful manner that is just right for elementary school readers. The book begins with a "Find the Truth!" page that piques the interest of readers by asking them to guess which of two statements is true:
No levees broke in New Orleans.
No future hurricanes will be named Katrina.
Readers are challenged to find the answer by reading the text. There is an answer page in the back of the book.
There are only four chapters in the book: Hurricane Coming, Devastation, The Situation at the Superdome, and Rebuilding New Orleans, making the book accessible to students of varied reading abilities. The chapters are brimming with facts about the storm and its effect on the Gulf Coast, yet the vocabulary and sentence structure are just right for readers in grades 3-5. Readers will be intrigued by the photographs that capture the devastation and impact of the hurricane on the people of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Many photos are accompanied by interesting facts:
"By August 31, more than 80 percent of New Orleans was under floodwater" (p. 17).
I was impressed that the author did not avoid difficult topics such as the desolate conditions at the Superdome, the government's mishandling of rescue and reliefs efforts, and the violence that erupted amid squalid conditions. Benoit covers each topic in a fair and balanced manner relying on facts and the observations of witnesses.
"Desperate doctors and nurses wondered where help was. Some 80,000 others stranded in the city also wondered when they would be rescued. So did television viewers around the world watching the disaster" (p. 21).
The book ends on a hopeful note with coverage of the rebuilding efforts and highlights of effective programs that build new homes for hurricane victims. The American Library Association is mentioned in the "Tourism Returns" section for holding its Annual Conference in New Orleans in 2006 despite the conditions of the city at the time. A bibliography and list of web sites are included at the end of the book. The web sites provide readers with access to photographs, interviews, and videos related to Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina fills a niche in the nonfiction collection of many public and elementary school libraries. There are few books that are able to take a difficult topic that hold some many raw emotions for our citizens and write in a manner that young readers will understand, yet Hurricane Katrina does just that!
Students frequently come to the library in search of books about tragedies from history, and now True Books is offering a series to meet the needs of those inquisitive young readers. The True Book- Disasters series penned by Peter Benoit covers a range of events such as the earthquake in Haiti, the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the BP oil spill, and nuclear meltdowns in addition to events from our more distant past.
Benoit does not shy away from difficult facts in Hurricane Katrina; the book sheds light on this devastating event from 2005 in a clear and thoughtful manner that is just right for elementary school readers. The book begins with a "Find the Truth!" page that piques the interest of readers by asking them to guess which of two statements is true:
No levees broke in New Orleans.
No future hurricanes will be named Katrina.
Readers are challenged to find the answer by reading the text. There is an answer page in the back of the book.
There are only four chapters in the book: Hurricane Coming, Devastation, The Situation at the Superdome, and Rebuilding New Orleans, making the book accessible to students of varied reading abilities. The chapters are brimming with facts about the storm and its effect on the Gulf Coast, yet the vocabulary and sentence structure are just right for readers in grades 3-5. Readers will be intrigued by the photographs that capture the devastation and impact of the hurricane on the people of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Many photos are accompanied by interesting facts:
"By August 31, more than 80 percent of New Orleans was under floodwater" (p. 17).
I was impressed that the author did not avoid difficult topics such as the desolate conditions at the Superdome, the government's mishandling of rescue and reliefs efforts, and the violence that erupted amid squalid conditions. Benoit covers each topic in a fair and balanced manner relying on facts and the observations of witnesses.
"Desperate doctors and nurses wondered where help was. Some 80,000 others stranded in the city also wondered when they would be rescued. So did television viewers around the world watching the disaster" (p. 21).
The book ends on a hopeful note with coverage of the rebuilding efforts and highlights of effective programs that build new homes for hurricane victims. The American Library Association is mentioned in the "Tourism Returns" section for holding its Annual Conference in New Orleans in 2006 despite the conditions of the city at the time. A bibliography and list of web sites are included at the end of the book. The web sites provide readers with access to photographs, interviews, and videos related to Hurricane Katrina.
Hurricane Katrina fills a niche in the nonfiction collection of many public and elementary school libraries. There are few books that are able to take a difficult topic that hold some many raw emotions for our citizens and write in a manner that young readers will understand, yet Hurricane Katrina does just that!
May 12, 2015
I have read a few of the A True Book series for young readers and have enjoyed them all. Each has a wonderful kid friendly layout with nice photographs, interesting facts, timelines, lists for additional resources, and a glossary of important key words. This would be a wonderful addition to any elementary or middle school library or classroom.
July 3, 2011
Some of the true facts are still hard to process. The timeline of Hurricane Katrina is well detailed. Information about hurricanes in general is also included.
February 2, 2013
Quick 48 page read with Griffin. This is a great book for kids. Perfect for Griffin's reading level and enjoyable for me to read with him.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews