Safe in a Storm

by Stephen R. Swinburne, Jennifer A. Bell (Illustrations)

A comforting and reassuring love story! "When the clouds grow darker and the rain pelts and stings,I'm here, my little duck. Keep warm beside my wings."In this comforting read-aloud story, all the animals find cozy places to keep them safe and warm, no matter how loud the storm rumbles or how dark the night gets. Next to their mothers, the baby animals are able to let go of their fears and fall asleep despite the storm. Safe in a Storm is a fun, imaginative good-night story featuring loving animal characters. It'll comfort young children during scary storms and always.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 26, 2016

About the author

Steve was born in London, England. He holds a BA degree in Biology and English from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has worked as a ranger in a number of national parks and is the author of over 30 children's books. His extensive travels to faraway lands such as Africa and treks through Yellowstone have all influenced his book projects. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt published Steve’s book Sea Turtle Scientist in 2014. His most recent title is from Scholastic and entitled Safe in a Storm, a comforting read-aloud story, where all the animals find cozy places to keep them safe and warm. Steve visits nearly a hundred schools a year across the United States as well as many international schools. He lives in Vermont with his wife Heather, two dogs named Scout and Jem, and a cat named Skittles.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rhyming beginner book. A parent animal is helping to soothe it’s young one during a storm all over the globe. There are whales and giraffes and many more. Simple and straight forward.

The kids thought this was good. They gave it 3 stars.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

The next time a storm rolls around, be sure this book is close by. Grab your littles, a blanket or two and snuggle together for this adorable story. Illustrations will warm your heart.

Make this a family favorite!

Ages: 3- 5

See which rainy day books our family is enjoying: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extra points from me for the collie at the end.

[Jack & Lily Wills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute story - made even nicer by the dedication in memory of the Sandy Hook children.

[Alex Kartak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Safe In a Storm was a very sweet and warm book. This book is dedicated to the 20 schoolchildren who passed away during the Sandy Hook shooting and also dedicated to all the school staff around the world. This book illustrates how a family is during a rough time by showing a powerful storm happening in the wild and different animal families telling comforting things to the kids. Each set of pages, has a different animal with very warm sayings to tell kids during a rough time or even a storm. Each end of the lines have words that rhyme and these words roll off the tongue so well.
I think this book is adorable because the different families are all trying to keep the children in a positive mood and letting them know that they will survive this storm. The pictures are very well-illustrated and really show the parents holding on to their kids. I would definitely read this book if I was going through a rough patch and needed some guidance.
In a classroom, I would use this book in a group read-a-loud to help the kids learn how to rhyme. In a group read-a-loud, I would let the kids popcorn read or just in a circle, I would trade off pages. This book is great for elementary aged kids and I would use this book to help the kids with their reading skills, rhyming, and naming animals. The kids could also learn about how protective some animal's parents are because they will learn this later in life, but learning at a young age is very helpful.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the intention in this picture book of providing reassurance for those who may face storms, unfortunately, some storms or catastrophic weather might not be as easy to deal with as this book makes it seem. This one is ideal for sharing with children to remind them that storms, whether literal or figurative, always come to an end, and life goes back to some semblance of normality. It might also reassure them to see how the adult animals in the book are providing safe places for their little ones during those storms. However, natural disasters such as hurricanes, torrential rains, floods, and tsunamis don't always afford preparation time or time to seek shelter. I find this book with its lovely natural settings to be useful in beginning conversations about nature and resilience, but parents and teachers might want to take care about how and when they shared it with youngsters. It could lead to some flashbacks in the case of disaster survivors or provide a false sense of security.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle reassurance for children that a caring adult will guard them during times of fear and uncertainty. The text does not guarantee safety, only promises that the young one will not be alone during the storm. This is an important distinction, given that the book is dedicated to "teachers and school staff everywhere...in memory of the 20 Sandy Hook Elementary schoolchildren."
The illustrations show branches bending in howling winds, but the facial expressions of both young and adult evoke trust, warmth, and calm.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet reassuring story about being kept safe in a thunderstorm. Lovely pictures of animal babies snuggling up to a parent.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the reassuring tone of this bedtime story.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text shows parent animal protecting and comforting their young during a storm.

[Wendy Kuzma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice, rhyming text. The entire books is too long for toddler time but I could possibly use it if I clipped a few pages together.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice illustrations, simple rhyming text. Nothing overly special.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

September 2016 (William's Kindergarten Book Fair)

[Rhoda Benton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the story, the calming remarks for young ones, and the dedication of this book!

[Jessica Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book to read. It shows that you don't have to be scared because someone is always there to protect you. It shows baby animals with the grown-up animals.

[Kimbra Power · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book to read aloud to a child on a stormy night or day.

[Brenda Kahn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story of reassurance for the youngest readers. Retro art adds to the coziness of the text.

[Hallie Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 stars.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely book with animals looking to an "adult" for safety. Very lovely illustrations.

[NayDoubleU · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for a rainy day (like today). Very sweet and makes one feel loved and warm inside

[Jmae123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Safe in a Storm" by Stephen R. Swinburne is a picture book that was dedicated to the Sandy Hook Elementary School as well as teachers and students. It was published in 2016. This dedication fits with the topic of the book which is keeping children safe. My five year old daughter picked this book out from the library based on the "cute" ducks she saw on the front cover. The book talks about a storm that sweeps across different areas, and the mothers keep their babies safe. What makes this book stand out is that the words and images are very symmetrical. The pictures are reinforcing what the words say. This means that even without words the story can be told through the pictures. I like picture books that do this, because it is easy for kids to follow along. It is almost like a movie in that sense. The illustrations are done in what I think is water colors. This lends to a detailed, but softness to the pictures that goes with the theme of comforting a child in a scary atmosphere. I think this is great for young children to see, because it really brings the story to life. My daughter really liked the characters. She made a lot of comments about the mother and baby animals, their different homes and hiding spots, and how she loves cuddling with her mom too. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially small children. It is a good reminder that no matter what storm may come into our lives it can never last forever. The book also used a variety of animals to convey the message. Using animals is a great idea in a children's book, because kids love to learn about animals. Kids could also talk about the different animal names and sounds that they make, so this book is great in that aspect as well. In conclusion, I think everyone should take a look at this book. The message is good for adults and children, and the kids will love the pictures and cuddly story line!

[Brynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is Cedar Faye approved ✅

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for Grades: PK-K

Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: None found

Recommended for a school library: Maybe?

Reason(s) for choosing the book: A toddler pulled it off the shelf at the public library and handed it to me to read to her:)

Review:

Abstract and Mini-Review
A book in rhyme showing how animals stay safe in a storm.

Uses in the Library/Classroom

Could be a comfort title during stormy weather for those children frightened for their animal friends.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2* art
2* story/poem

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story isn't really about farm animals but there are several. The mother animals are comforting their babies during the storm. Rhyming makes this book flow nicely.

teaching application- The children should be able to identify the familiar animals in this story. Have them come up with additional rhyming words or other animals they could make rhymes for.