A Storm Called Katrina

This is quite a story. The illustrations are remarkable. Because I can remember Hurricane Katrina like it was yesterday, it brought back a lot of emotions, especially seeing the drawings in the book. The author did a wonderful job bringing the reader into the mind of Louis Daniel and presenting the obstacles he and his family had to face and overcome.

Little Louis Daniel and his family are watching the storm outside their New Orleans home in August of 2005. When that storm changes in the hurricane that decimated cities and towns across the US South, Louis and his mother and father are forced to seek shelter elsewhere, before the water from the broken levees swells up and swallows them. They make it to the Superdome where they’re faced with poor sanitation conditions, no electricity or air-conditioning, and a dwindling food supply. Louis’ father leaves to go find his family something to eat. But when the crowd mentality starts to take over and men start to threaten Louis for his bottle of water, his mother moves them from their spot in the stands. How will Louis’ father ever show more find them again among the thousands of people? A vital retelling of New Orleans and its infamous hurricane is vividly wrought by Myron Uhlberg in his picture book, “A Storm Called Katrina.” His words are piercing and gripping, placing readers onto the family’s make-shift float, through the flooded streets of central New Orleans or in the stinking, devastated Superdome. Colin Bootman’s dramatic oil paint illustrations capture the story in an impressionistic blurred style that gives the story a bad-dream-like air. Heartbreak is not spared as Uhlberg navigates carefully and poetically around complicated topics for young readers like anger, fear, despair, and death. Recommended for ages 8-10. show less

Louis Daniel is a 10-year-old boy growing up in New Orleans who dreams of one day being able to play his beloved cornet just like the great Louis Armstrong. When Hurricane Katrina hits, Louis and his family have to hurry to escape surging floodwaters leaving behind everything, but Louis manages to grab his horn as they’re going out the door. Little does he know how handy it will come in for his family as they head for shelter at the Superdome.

A Storm Called Katrina is a gentle introduction for younger readers to the catastrophic hurricane. Uhlberg gives the briefest of glimpses at the hardest topics – coming upon a “pile of clothes” that once was a person, spotting an abandoned pet floating on the flood waters, and the show more degenerating conditions at the Superdome. Colin Bootman’s illustrations do a fine job of depicting the family’s treacherous escape from the flood waters and the chaos and suffering that soon ensued within the Superdome shelter. If I have one objection, it is that the ending seems too pat, even for a very young audience. It gives the impression that, even after escaping their flooded street on a floating piece of porch, it was a simple thing to just head home after the storm. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but it seems misleading to reduce the aftermath of Katrina into a brief, happy “We’re going home.” Other than this, A Storm Called Katrina is a beautifully illustrated glimpse into a terrible event with a courageous and clever hero to boot. show less

"A Storm Called Katrina" tells the story of Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it caused to the New Orleans area, as seen through the eyes of a child. Louis and his family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. The day Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans was a day Louis and his family would never forget. They, like many others, did not evacuate and were trapped in the flood waters. After floating on a makeshift raft made from a porch, the family joined the thousands of others evacuated at the Super Dome. The illustrations show how when resources are limited, the crowd begins to get aggressive and aggravated. Louis's father became separated from the family when he went searching for food, and had no idea how he would ever relocate them in the show more massive crowd. Luckily, his son Louis evacuated with his prized possession, his horn. Louis played "Home Sweet Home" on his horn and his father was able to follow the sound until they were once again reunited. show less

The events in this book are true to the Katrina experience. The author tells a story that was the reality to thousands of people in New Orleans. i am from New Orleans and knew several people that were trapped in the dome. Their experience was horrible. The only part that is misleading to the reader is the ending. People weren't allowed to go back home, they were placed on buses and shipped out to unknown destinations. Many of them returned while others stayed put. I appreciated the author's sensitivity to young readers. When the paddle hits a bunch of clothes an adult understands what Louis saw but it's left up to individual's how to address it if the story is being read to a small child. This book is wonderful.

A heart wrenching story of 10 year old Louis Daniel. Louis Daniel and his family did not leave for Hurricane Katrina like most families. He was stuck in the flooded city and had to make a raft out of their porch. Before evacuating Louis took his favorite thing. He took his entrustment. After being rescued they went to the Superdome along with all the other people. The crowds start getting angry and want food. His dad goes to search for food and becomes lost. A nervous wreck thinking he will never find his family Lousi has a great Idea and plays his instrument so his dad can find him. Everyone was happy and the family was reunited during this tough time

We all know the story of Katrina. Despite your geographic location, back in August 2005 all eyes were turned towards this massive storm system as it churned its way through the Gulf. You never know with hurricanes ...they can be going one direction and then be hit by another front or steering winds and boom, instead of missing you completely, you are the new bull's eye. This storm started out no different and then grew into a monster. That monster hit New Orleans full steam ahead and brought with it rains and winds like no other...but the worst was yet to come. As the rain piled up, the levees gave way and well, the destruction still haunts us today.

This story is a fictional account of Louis Daniel and his family as they struggled to show more make it through these very real events. The voice of the main character is young (he's 10 years old) but true. Despite having lived so close to the events myself and meeting some of the people displaced by the storm years later, it was through Louis's eyes that mine found tears. The destruction was so complete affecting land, man, and animal. The choices to be made hard in the best of times let alone when everything is being ripped out from under you. The conditions in which they had to live in the following days, so harsh and bleak. Yet despite it all, his family (as did many in real life) pulled together staying strong for each other, ensuring that they knew things would turn out okay. It's just amazing to see the strength of the people from this below-sea-level city in the face of such odds.

So many people were affected by this natural disaster and still are to this day. The author did a wonderful job of sharing life from within the storm in a voice that could share the fear of what was happening, the uncertainty of things to come, and the hope that was kept alive by a community that refused to surrender. Take this powerful story and combine it with the artistic renderings throughout book and you have a work perfect for readers of all ages to understand these events more clearly. show less