Great Gusts: Winds of the World and the Science Behind Them by Khoa Le, MEGAN BENEDICT, Melanie Crowder ISBN: 1536224510
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Source: MSL Book Review
Goodreads
This is an informational picture book that uses brief poetry, evocative illustrations, and detailed sidebars to explain and describe fourteen winds, specific to their geographic location and climes. The poems are rhythmic and vivid, mostly free-verse but occasionally following the traditional patterns of the geographic area they represent, such as Papagayo Jet, written in the copla form (folk poetry of Central and South America):
Even fierce, howling winds bring
hope, remake this world.
Rest, fragile beasts, where algae
blooms in cooling swirls.
Each wind has a double-page spread that includes a poem, a sidebar that explains how the unique geography forms the wind and its accompanying weather system, and an illustration that brings these elements together, using “wind lines” to show how the winds blow over landscapes and seascapes.
The back matter contains a world map pinpointing wind locales, glossary, explanations of what makes the wind and how winds are named.
It is an extremely browsable book, with accessible poems and illustrations that strengthen the concept of how and where the winds take shape. Highly recommended for public and school library collections where patrons are keen on geography and weather.
Reviewed by Deanna Contrino, SLMS/MLIS, Young School Librarian, Saco