FREDDY THE FROGCASTER AND THE TERRIBLE TORNADO
From the Freddy the Frogcaster series
by Janice Dean ; illustrated by Russ Cox
Freddy the Frogcaster learns about tornadoes.
Aspiring meteorologist Freddy has been practicing his weather forecasting. Every weekend he visits Frog News Network to rehearse in front of the cameras. When his weather models predict strong storms, he lets Sally Croaker and Polly Woggins, frogcasters who work for FNN, know what is coming. With the possibility of tornadoes in the near future for the town of Lilypad, Tad Polar, famous storm chaser, comes to town—and he takes Freddy with him in his specially equipped storm-chasing van. They see a tornado and let the local news teams know. The storm is scary, and it does some damage, but everyone survives thanks to Freddy and Tad. Dean’s fourth Freddy the Frogcaster title packs a lot of information on tornado formation and tornado safety into a thin story. The clear, simple language of the story and the seven pages of illustrated aftermatter make this a worthy addition to larger library collections. With Cox’s bright, expressive illustrations of bug-eyed, gape-mouthed frogs, it may even allay some storm fears.
Best read for its informational content.
(Picture book. 5-8)