Stephen P. Kramer

Warren Faidley is an artist of capturing dangerous meteorological moments on camera. He has risked his life numerous times to bring the power of thunderstorms to a popular audience. His interest in thunderstorms began in his childhood when he rode his bike into a dust-devil. Stephen Kramer writes this biography of Warren Faidley, while trying to spread an awareness of the difficulties and dangers of storm-chasing. Faidley's adventures in storm chasing are used as a pretext to teach some show more scientific facts about weather phenomena such as tornadoes, lightning, and hurricanes.

All of the pictures were taken by Warren Faidley, and are unique in some way described by the text. Faidley's famous close-up of a lightning bolt includes the story of its capture. There are also snippets from Faidley's diary as a storm chaser that are intriguing from the point of view of someone who imagines storm-chasing might be an easy or fascinating task. Storm chasing can be as challenging as a game of chess. Faidley and Kramer bring the reality and hazards of this occupation to light. An attractive book for all ages because Faidley's photographs bring the experience of dangerous weather near. show less

This was a great explanation of the scientific method. I appreciate that included common errors people make when they try to answer questions (e.g., applying the wrong information to the situation or cherry picking evidence so you come to the conclusion that you want). Excellent explanation of the use and importance of control vs experimental groups. My kids really enjoyed the narrative style. I know my four-year-old didn't get much out of it as far as an understanding of the scientific show more method goes, but he enjoyed the book while his eight-year-old sister "got it" a little better.

We got this one from the library, but I might end up buying a copy. I gave it four stars rather than five just because I feel nervous about the suggestion that my children find a dead snake and put it in the freezer, even if it's a suggestion made in jest. Luckily, we don't live in snake-rich country. show less

I really liked how this book told miniature stories within the chapters. To me it really shows the reader how much we use science in our daily lives just by simply asking questions about life. I know students usually understand rather quickly that math is used in everyday life, but I don't think that they realize how much science is involved also. I think that because of the way it is told like a story, children are more likely to pay attention to detail and really understand what the author show more is trying to portray. And, when you tell students "we are going to be scientists today" they generally get excited (or in my past experiences they do). show less

This book reads like an adventure novel. It introduces the main character, Warren Faidley,and explains how he became a storm chaser. Between these introductions, though, the author provides background information on relevant meteorological terms. Portions of the book detail specific experiences Faidley recalls from his early days in photographing lightening and the section on hurricanes is supplemented with Faidley's journal entries from the days before and after Hurricane Andrew. An show more important feature of the book, in my opinion, is that all of the photographs used were taken by Faidley. The photographs are spectacular and the text is hard-to-resist engaging; this book would be equally excellent for perusing the pictures or getting caught up in the excitement of Faidley's storm catcher stories. show less