Hurricane by John Rocco

 

Hurricane 

written and illustrated by John Rocco

Little,Brown BFYR, 2021, 48 pages

Hurricanes are scary weather events for lots of kids and it seems we are experiencing more and more extreme storms nowadays. Here is the story of one such storm and its aftereffects. 

Before our young unnamed narrator tells his hurricane story, this new book by John Rocco begins with the front endpapers giving brief information about how hurricanes are categorized according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, and including an illustration of just how hurricanes begin and end.  

From there, our narrator tells us that his favorite place in the world is the old splintery neighborhood dock that no one uses except him. There, at the river, he can fish, swim, crab, or just watch what is going on around him. One day, as he walks home, he sees his neighbors and his dad boarding up and taping the windows of their homes in preparation for an impending hurricane. 

Later that night, the hurricane roars in bringing destruction everywhere and causing the river to overflow and wash away anything that can float. 

By the next day, the hurricane is gone but what a path of destruction it leaves in its wake. Our young narrator, fishing pole and tackle box in hand, almost doesn't recognize his street anymore. But the real shock come when he sees what the hurricane has done to his beloved dock.

The boy asks his dad and his neighbors for help repairing the dock, but they are all busy fixing the damage done to their homes. Instead of fixing the dock, the boy stays and helps his neighbors instead. After, returning home, he decides to try to fix the dock on his own. Day after day, he works on it, though it's a big job for a young boy. But just as he is about to give up, the whole neighborhood shows up to help him. In the end, the dock is better that ever - it is sturdier, safer, and best of all - it has become everyone's dock and it is still his favorite place in the world.

I suspect this story may be somewhat autobiographical, it just has the feeling of something actually experienced. Maybe this is because Rocco has really captured the young narrator's emotional range so well, at times, he looks so vulnerable, other times scared, stunned, and disappointed, but also hopeful and happy.  

What I really liked was how Rocco showed the change in the neighborhood before and after the storm. The fact that the dock belonged to the town but the narrator was the only one using it indicates that maybe people were not friendly with each other before the storm. Also, the narrator is always shown alone. But after the boy has helped them out and they have reciprocated by helping fix the dock shows a new, stronger feeling of community. 

The illustrations, done with pencil, watercolor and digital color, are colorful and detailed. One of the things Rocco does so well is depicting movement even in a still image. Take for example, the image of the storm I've included - you really get the sense of heavy slanted rain forced by the strong winds, and the water from the river flowing up the street. All of the illustrations are just brilliant.

So, what do you think Rocco included on the back endpapers? Why, the parts of a dock, of course.

This book is recommended for readers age 5+

This book and the images included here were a PDF gratefully received from Ana Sierra at Wunderkind PR