What's the Weather?

by Shelley Rotner

Overview

It is hot outside? Why does it rain? Are tornados and twisters the same thing? The wonders of weather are explained to young children.

Photos of puffy clouds, dramatic storms, and rainbows alternate with buoyant portraits of a diverse group of children experiencing the natural world. Seasons, precipitation, wind, clouds, storms, and climate change are all introduced in a format that younger children can grasp from a trusted name in children's nonfiction.

From the author-photographer behind the celebrated Hello Seasons! series, What's the Weather? continues Shelley Rotner's exploration of the world around us. Rotner has also worked as a National Geographic photographer and is a former kindergarten teacher. Back matter includes a statement from a climatologist and a thorough glossary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823443499
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	03/17/2020
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Shelley Rotner is the author and photo-illustrator of more than thirty books, including Families. Her collaborations with Sheila M. Kelly include Shades of People, an ALA Notable Children's Book, and her solo work includes Hello Spring!, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Northampton, MA.

Editorial Reviews

02/14/2020

PreS-Gr 2—Simple, short sentences describe the weather and the four seasons. The text explains how wind affects the weather due to wind chill and moving clouds. Fog and storms are also discussed. The last several pages are devoted to information regarding climate. The sentences get longer and more serious in this portion of the book. Rotner points out how climate is impacting weather—storms are getting more severe and glaciers are melting. The narrative ends on a positive note: we can all make a difference. Lovely stock photos depict a wide variety of scenes with plants and animals. Children of many ethnic groups smile and laugh in their rain gear, swimsuits, and winter jackets as they play in all types of weather conditions. A glossary with well-defined words and information from a climatologist completes the book. VERDICT If materials for an easy nonfiction area are needed, this would be a current and reliable source to provide. Purchase if you need to freshen up the photography in older weather-centric titles.—Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio

School Library Journal

2020-01-12
Full-color photographs accompany large-print text about weather and climate change.

As with Rotner's other books, the layout and photography will draw viewers in. However, the diverse children in the photos lack the spontaneity of previous titles, too often looking like posed models rather than ordinary children experiencing different kinds of weather. There are some striking photographs of cloud formations and other phenomena (many from stock sources). The text vacillates, offering in turn simplistic two- or three-word statements regarding weather, well-formulated compound sentences with easily digested information, and complex, clumsy sentences such as: "It snows when the temperature is low and clouds get heavy and fill with drops of water that freeze and fall to the ground." It is also unfortunate that, after mentioning that seasonal changes are dependent on "where you live," the text launches into sentences that describe specifically the seasons in temperate climates—without specifying that this is the case. This is at least as important as the later introduction of the North and South poles or the word "meteorologist." After giving some basic facts about such things as the difference between sleet and hail, there is a rudimentary explanation of global warming and climate change. Credit is due for including this. However, both in this section and earlier in the book, there are awkward sentences that almost defy meaning. In short, neither text nor art measures up to, for example, Hello Summer! (2019) and its seasonal companions.

Intermittent fog obscures introductory meteorology and climatology. (glossary, note from climatologist) (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews

"As with Rotner's other books, the layout and photography will draw viewers in."—Kirkus Reviews
 
"The arrangement of topics allows each to flow smoothly into the next. Rotner’s clearly written sentences seem to accompany the photos, rather than the other way around. . . . A worthwhile read-aloud choice for starting conversations or for introducing classroom units on weather."—Booklist

From the Publisher