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Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future
In 2007, a tornado destroyed Greensburg, Kansas, and the residents were at a loss as to what to do next--they didn't want to rebuild if their small town would just be destroyed in another storm. So they decided they wouldn't just rebuild the same old thing; this time, they would build a town that could not only survive another storm, but one that was built in an environmentally sustainable way. Told from the point of view of a child whose family rebuilt after the storm, this companion to Energy Island is the inspiring story of the difference one community can make--and it includes plenty of rebuilding scenes and details for construction lovers, too!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 2016
8 people are currently reading
195 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
April 24, 2023
Text: 5 stars
Illustrations: 4 stars
Rebuilt after devastation from a tornado, this real-life city becomes a model for sustainability. Very inspiring and informative. Sketchy-type illustrations have a modern look and feel.
Illustrations: 4 stars
Rebuilt after devastation from a tornado, this real-life city becomes a model for sustainability. Very inspiring and informative. Sketchy-type illustrations have a modern look and feel.
May 8, 2016
GREEN CITY by Allan Drummond is an informational picture book exploring how one community survived a tornado and rebuilt their community.
Based on a real event, this inspiring picture book tells the story of the small town of Greensburg Kansas was struck by a tornado. When the community began planning for reconstruction, they decided to build in an environmentally sustainable way including reclaimed lumber, wind-resistant buildings, and green energy sources.
Sidebars throughout the book highlight key elements of green construction and sustainable building practices. The book concludes with an author’s note, tips for going green, and source notes.
Librarians will find this book to be an excellent introduction to the idea of sustainable communities. Use this book as a springboard for inquiry-based learning. Ask youth to explore an aspect of green construction of interest. Provide access to books focusing on specific practices such as alternative energy sources to jumpstart their investigations.
To learn more about the author, go to http://allandrummond.com.
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan on March 15, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
Based on a real event, this inspiring picture book tells the story of the small town of Greensburg Kansas was struck by a tornado. When the community began planning for reconstruction, they decided to build in an environmentally sustainable way including reclaimed lumber, wind-resistant buildings, and green energy sources.
Sidebars throughout the book highlight key elements of green construction and sustainable building practices. The book concludes with an author’s note, tips for going green, and source notes.
Librarians will find this book to be an excellent introduction to the idea of sustainable communities. Use this book as a springboard for inquiry-based learning. Ask youth to explore an aspect of green construction of interest. Provide access to books focusing on specific practices such as alternative energy sources to jumpstart their investigations.
To learn more about the author, go to http://allandrummond.com.
Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan on March 15, 2016. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
May 18, 2016
This finally came in! I ordered this book months ago and had about given up on the library receiving it.
It is a nice book explaining how one forward thinking city....more like a large village as far as I can tell....decided that the way to create jobs in its devastated city was to go green after the city was decimated by a tornado. They lost close to half the people who used to live there due to many moving away and starting anew in other locations as well as deaths from the tornado. Those remaining decided to make the village green, assuming correctly that that would be a good way to provide jobs for those remaining in the town. All rebuilt houses were done with extra insulation and on green premises such as solar and recycled materials from the mess left by the tornado. That both cut down on expenses in rebuilding and in getting rid of the waste material created by the tornado. The main purpose of the book is to expose kids to green practices and to give them exposure to thinking outside the box. It does a good job on both counts.
I'm pleased the library will have one of my last choices on its shelves.
It is a nice book explaining how one forward thinking city....more like a large village as far as I can tell....decided that the way to create jobs in its devastated city was to go green after the city was decimated by a tornado. They lost close to half the people who used to live there due to many moving away and starting anew in other locations as well as deaths from the tornado. Those remaining decided to make the village green, assuming correctly that that would be a good way to provide jobs for those remaining in the town. All rebuilt houses were done with extra insulation and on green premises such as solar and recycled materials from the mess left by the tornado. That both cut down on expenses in rebuilding and in getting rid of the waste material created by the tornado. The main purpose of the book is to expose kids to green practices and to give them exposure to thinking outside the box. It does a good job on both counts.
I'm pleased the library will have one of my last choices on its shelves.
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May 13, 2016On June 8, 1953 one of the deadliest tornadoes in Michigan history touched down in Beecher north of Flint. It was one of eight tornadoes racing through the area on that day. My parents had lifelong friends living there, so later a trip was made. I was too young at the time to have any memory of what was seen but pictures taken by my father are evidence of the wreckage wrought by those winds.
A respect for the devastation caused by a tornado was part of my childhood; my father's words to always purchase a home with a basement are firmly embedded in my mind. In 2007 another fierce storm struck in the state of Kansas. Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future (Frances Foster Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, March 15, 2016) written and illustrated by Allan Drummond chronicles the events of the twister and the subsequent recovery.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
A respect for the devastation caused by a tornado was part of my childhood; my father's words to always purchase a home with a basement are firmly embedded in my mind. In 2007 another fierce storm struck in the state of Kansas. Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future (Frances Foster Books, Farrar Straus Giroux, March 15, 2016) written and illustrated by Allan Drummond chronicles the events of the twister and the subsequent recovery.
My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...
June 24, 2016
This awesome nonfiction picture book would be a great starting point for discussions about what "going green" and sustainability mean. The author uses a kid friendly narrative style to tell about a small Kansas down that was devastated by a tornado. In the effort to rebuild, citizens and leaders decided to build a "green city." The book presents fascinating information and a list of resources for further research. I definitely want to get my own copy of this for my classroom library.
March 15, 2016
Interesting and inspirational story. I'm not sure that a children's picture book format is the best choice for the information though. Maybe something geared for grade school non fiction instead?
September 14, 2017
When the reader opens this book the frontispiece and title page show the town already in the upheaval of a full blown tornado happening before the reader's eyes!! The water tower is airborne and the stoplight as well as two automobiles, pitchforks, lamps and a door and pieces of furniture. The town of Greensburg in Kansas was hit by a tornado in 2007, after making sure everyone was safe and having twelve people to lift a truck off of a neighbor's house, they began to plan what to do next. It appeared as if a huge bomb had gone off. It was only two weeks before graduation and the school was destroyed. Other landmarks: the hospital, nine churches, the water tower, the drugstore, grocery store, two hotels, three banks, the theater and everything else was gone. Not only were trees shredded, even the birds were gone. All that remained were the courthouse and the grain elevator complex. Though there was a tremendous mess to clean up, the families met to decide "What do we want to be now?" With the help of all able bodied people, donations from all over the US and the world, and the assistance of government experts the rubble was cleared, over 388,000 tons of it. Plans were set up to house the residents in trailer homes outside of Greensburg. The residents did not all agree and some families moved away, those remaining realized their trailers could be blown away, but were excited to learn to build tornado-proof homes. Homes that were easy to cool and easy to keep warm in winter. A community expert Daniel Wallach lived in a nearby town when the tornado hit, but he shared with the people that "Green is basic common sense, knowing not to use more than you need, Sustainability! He opened an office and called it Greensburg Green Town. With Wallach's help, the folk in Greensburg learned to build sustainable houses. the town's businesses became green and they build a wind farm large enough to power the whole community. For three years the children had only small trailers for classroom and they became experts in environmental science. Years later everything came together nicely and Greensburg is known as Green City. It is a model for what can be done! the author's note tells how he lost his home to fire, but had to make the same sort of decisions that the people of Greensburg had to make. There are also some tips for going green and the book is written not based on the view of a particular child but through a family's experience. This is a great book for school libraries so kids know the importance of recycling and sustainability!
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June 23, 2017Twin Text:
Chabbert, I., & Nieto Guridi, R. (2017). The last tree (English ed.). Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
Rationale:
These two texts connect by looking at the importance of making good choices for the environment. The Last Tree (Chabbert & Guridi, 2017) looks at the consequences of building too much and being wasteful with resources. It is set in a future where there is hardly any grass and only one tree left. Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future (Drummond, 2016) follows a real city that was destroyed by a tornado and the choices they made when they rebuilt it to make it more sustainable and energy efficient. By looking at a fictional future where people weren't aware of the consequences of their actions and being sustainable, students can really make a cause and effect connection at what could happen if people don't take care of the earth.
Text Structure & Text Features:
This story is told in sequential order starting with the tornado that destroyed the town, moving through their choices of how to rebuild, and explaining the process of making it a green city. Within the sequential order, it also features cause and effect through the tornado's destruction and how that impacted the town and people. They show the effects of people having to move because they couldn't afford to rebuild. The text features diagrams, sidebars with explanations of how to be more sustainable, and direct quotes from a congressional address from Barack Obama.
Strategy Application:
For these books, I would start The Last Tree with a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (Camp, 2010). I would ask students to make predictions about what the story was about and why they think there might only be one tree left. Then we would read the book and look at the illustrations to make inferences about why it was the last tree and check our predictions. By the end of the story, when we see the construction will destroy the last tree, we will make inferences on what would have to happen in this world to change it. Then, we'll compare the story to Green City: How Once Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future. They'll look at the cover. They'll make predictions about what will happen in the story and what sustainable might mean. As we read, we'll check to confirm or revise their predictions. We'll also check for understanding of sustainable and what it means to be green. Then we will make inferences about how the future of this city would be similar or different than The Last Tree based on their actions.
Resource:
Camp, D. (2010, February). It takes two: Teaching with twin texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), 400-408.
Chabbert, I., & Nieto Guridi, R. (2017). The last tree (English ed.). Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press.
Rationale:
These two texts connect by looking at the importance of making good choices for the environment. The Last Tree (Chabbert & Guridi, 2017) looks at the consequences of building too much and being wasteful with resources. It is set in a future where there is hardly any grass and only one tree left. Green City: How One Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future (Drummond, 2016) follows a real city that was destroyed by a tornado and the choices they made when they rebuilt it to make it more sustainable and energy efficient. By looking at a fictional future where people weren't aware of the consequences of their actions and being sustainable, students can really make a cause and effect connection at what could happen if people don't take care of the earth.
Text Structure & Text Features:
This story is told in sequential order starting with the tornado that destroyed the town, moving through their choices of how to rebuild, and explaining the process of making it a green city. Within the sequential order, it also features cause and effect through the tornado's destruction and how that impacted the town and people. They show the effects of people having to move because they couldn't afford to rebuild. The text features diagrams, sidebars with explanations of how to be more sustainable, and direct quotes from a congressional address from Barack Obama.
Strategy Application:
For these books, I would start The Last Tree with a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (Camp, 2010). I would ask students to make predictions about what the story was about and why they think there might only be one tree left. Then we would read the book and look at the illustrations to make inferences about why it was the last tree and check our predictions. By the end of the story, when we see the construction will destroy the last tree, we will make inferences on what would have to happen in this world to change it. Then, we'll compare the story to Green City: How Once Community Survived a Tornado and Rebuilt for a Sustainable Future. They'll look at the cover. They'll make predictions about what will happen in the story and what sustainable might mean. As we read, we'll check to confirm or revise their predictions. We'll also check for understanding of sustainable and what it means to be green. Then we will make inferences about how the future of this city would be similar or different than The Last Tree based on their actions.
Resource:
Camp, D. (2010, February). It takes two: Teaching with twin texts of fact and fiction. The Reading Teacher, 53(5), 400-408.
November 6, 2021
Green City is an interesting book filled with so much information and knowledge. Throughout its many pages, the reader is flooded with sustenance on the workings of a green, environmentally friendly future for a small town who had been drastically impacted by a horrendous tornado. Each pages is filled with almost sloppy drawings, leaving much to the imagination, possibly to create the idea of the ruthless, chaotic setting that the tornado left the town in. Along with this fluid use of line and double pages, the book is formatted in a way that demonstrates extra information and knowledge on the edge of the page. The illustrations also demonstrate the racial demographic that may be mostly prominent from that area, but it was contrasting to the books that I have recently read because we only saw able bodied, white people shown on any of the pages. I especially appreciated the ability to see the tips for going green added near the end of the story because it showed that these are real implication that can be added to anyones daily life to create a needed difference.
May 31, 2017
When a tornado completely wiped out Greensboro, KS, the town decided to capitalize on the green part of their name and rebuild as green as possible. They rebuilt homes that would conserve energy and water, use natural resources, and incorporated reclaimed and recycled materials as much as possible.
An interesting true story about recovery from a natural disaster and various different approaches families and companies took to go green. I like the practical ways kids are encouraged to save energy. I grew up in a unique atmosphere as my dad is a heating and cooling engineer so he taught us from the time we were little several of these techniques to save energy, and to make sure your house is more energy efficient. I never took the time to think before about how most kids don't learn such things from their fathers. This is a good book for those kids who don't grow up with heating/cooling engineer fathers.
An interesting true story about recovery from a natural disaster and various different approaches families and companies took to go green. I like the practical ways kids are encouraged to save energy. I grew up in a unique atmosphere as my dad is a heating and cooling engineer so he taught us from the time we were little several of these techniques to save energy, and to make sure your house is more energy efficient. I never took the time to think before about how most kids don't learn such things from their fathers. This is a good book for those kids who don't grow up with heating/cooling engineer fathers.
December 14, 2016
A look at how Greensburg, KS rebuilt after a tornado in 2007. The residents rebuilt their city with sustainability in mind and in doing set an example for the world. The text is written as a survivor telling a first-hand account of the event. It is full of practical advice and clever storytelling. Great for Earth Day/ sustainability reading Gr. 3-5.
December 4, 2018
An informative picture book that would be great for older readers because they can learn about Green City through illustrations and shorter passages. Definitely a lot of information to take in. Great information about building green. A book that would be a good addition to a unit on storms, disasters, weather, ecology, or Earth Day.
June 7, 2017
This is a great STEM read that offers a positive message about community partnerships and growth following a tragedy. I love how this is told in a narrative story format, yet includes sidebars of explanatory technical information.
January 25, 2018
A moving picture book story of Greensburg Kansas. A town that was almost wiped out by a Tornado in 2007 and choose to rebuild in a green way. Loved that the choice wasn't easy or feasible for all families. elementary and up
January 24, 2019
I greatly enjoyed this book. This book tells the story of Greensburg, Kansas. The city that rebuilt itself green after a destructive tornado. This book is very creative and informative and could spark a great discussion about sustainability.
May 18, 2019
The Heart of the Heartland
Wonderful, true story of a rural community coming together to rebuild after a genuine catastrophe. Not only rebuilding their community but rethinking their carbon footprint in the process and choosing to take a most constructive path.
Wonderful, true story of a rural community coming together to rebuild after a genuine catastrophe. Not only rebuilding their community but rethinking their carbon footprint in the process and choosing to take a most constructive path.
July 29, 2020
50 States book for Kansas. When a tornado devastated the town of Greensburg, KS, the people of that small town decided to rebuild the community based on sustainability and tornado-proof. Good tie-in with weather/natural disasters too.
June 26, 2023
Loved sharing this one with my class! We are learning about sustainability and this book really brought everything home. Also showed what perseverance can do to a community with strong dedication to their future.
June 1, 2017
Such a cool book about turning a difficult situation into a positive outcome. A definite add to the library.
June 2, 2017
Having lived through two disasters myself I feel like this book does a great explanation of how a city rebuilds afterwards.
June 2, 2017
Fascinating! I looked up the city of Greensburg and it's pretty neat. If I am ever in Kansas I hope to drive through and check it out!
July 30, 2017
Interesting story about a town destroyed by a tornado and rebuilt as a "green" city.
July 8, 2021
A story of a town that repairs their town in a green community after a devastating tornado goes through their town.
September 8, 2021
What a town to come back after that tornado!
October 6, 2022
Good book for younger kiddos to understand the growth of the city after the tornado. Language was not scary for younger kiddos.
December 14, 2022
The book had very nice illustrations to go with the descriptive text.
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February 4, 2023Great narrative nonfiction, and nicely paired with Energy Island. 💨💚
March 18, 2023
A great example of informational/ expository text at work! This is based off of a true story and introduces sustainability to children from the book’s viewpoint of a child.
March 30, 2023
Not one for Littles, but I do appreciate how events like this are recorded for big kids to learn about. History is always worth being recorded for the next generation.
November 10, 2023
Informative and inspiring without being overwhelming for kids.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews