Miss Mingo Weathers the Storm

by Jamie Harper, Jamie Harper (Illustrator)

Overview

“The appealing story and wide array of weather facts make this a breath of fresh air.” — Kirkus Reviews

It’s a spring morning, and Miss Mingo and her class are ready to hike up High Hill to visit the weather station. Groundhog predicts the weather will be perfect. But as the animals climb, the temperature does, too, and Panda seeks shade while Hippo starts sweating red (it’s normal!). From hail and winds to rain and a sudden chill, everyone from Ant to Alligator is learning about crazy atmospheric changes. Sprinkled with facts about weather and animal habits, this charming class trip will bring sunny smiles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763695149
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/12/2017
Series:	Miss Mingo
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jamie Harper is the author-illustrator of three books about the feisty flamingo teacher Miss Mingo, as well as the picture book Miles to Go. She lives outside Boston.

Editorial Reviews

A class field trip up High Hill to a weather observatory at the top offers ample opportunities for Harper to share intriguing tidbits of information about animals and weather in this third picture book about Miss Mingo the flamingo and her students. A new student, Groundhog, joins the class and quietly predicts perfect weather, but heat, humidity, hail, and frozen fog prove him wrong—or so it seems. Along the way, readers learn about the various animals’ habits and reactions to the weather (hippos secrete moisturizing “blood sweat” when they are hot and dry, and narwhals may use their tusks to gauge temperature and barometric pressure). Packed with fascinating details and realistic classmate interactions, it’s a treat for animal lovers. Ages 4–7. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Packed with fascinating details and realistic classmate interactions, it’s a treat for animal lovers.
—Publishers Weekly

Harper's watercolor-and-ink illustrations marvelously convey emotion as well as personality... The appealing story and wide array of weather facts make this a breath of fresh air to round out and add interest to weather units that are heavy in nonfiction titles.
—Kirkus Reviews

The watercolor and ink illustrations add a splash of color and humor to the story. The individual personalities and feelings of the characters are evident by their expressive faces. The story is supplemented by brief facts about animals and the weather.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Gr 1–3—Enthusiastic and competent Miss Mingo takes her class of animals, insects, and sea creatures hiking. Everyone looks forward to visiting the weather observatory at the top of High Hill. Groundhog predicts that it will be a perfect day for the outing. As the students and their flamingo teacher make their way toward their destination, they encounter oppressive heat and then get caught in a hailstorm. When the hail abates, the rain pours down and the fog rolls in. Thanks to the quick thinking of Groundhog, the intrepid hikers finally reach the station. The atmosphere throws them one more curveball in the form of a brief blizzard, and the delighted children play in the snow. Instead of hiking back, Miss Mingo transports the laughing students downhill on a toboggan. The watercolor and ink illustrations add a splash of color and humor to the story. The individual personalities and feelings of the characters are evident by their expressive faces. The story is supplemented by brief facts about animals and the weather. "Ants build and fortify their nests as rain approaches. They finish off by closing the entrance to the nest." Though interesting, the placement of these informational paragraphs interrupts the flow of the narrative. This storm-filled adventure may be paired with Joan Holub's Groundhog Weather School (Putnam, 2009).—Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

School Library Journal

A class hike to the weather observatory turns out to be more educational than anticipated for Miss Mingo and her eclectic group of students. The steep trail has many kids complaining early on, while others display their adaptations for dealing with the rising temperature: Panda drapes herself over a tree branch, and Hippo appears to be sweating blood. Meanwhile, Frog tries to draw out the new student by asking for Groundhog's expert (NOT!) opinion on the wild changes in weather they are experiencing--dark clouds, hail, rain, a sudden drop in temperature and even a snowstorm! But the students and their teacher all demonstrate a resourcefulness and degree of cooperation that are admirable. Miss Mingo's rescue of her smallest students is sure to stick in readers' minds for its pure originality. Harper keeps the flow of the narrative going while at the same time presenting additional facts (via a slightly different typeface) that round out readers' understanding of the story. Children will learn how to estimate temperature from a cricket's chirping and the facts behind frizzy hair. Harper's watercolor-and-ink illustrations marvelously convey emotion as well as personality, from Groundhog's shy manner to the rather princesslike Alligator. The appealing story and wide array of weather facts make this a breath of fresh air to round out and add interest to weather units that are heavy in nonfiction titles. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews