Bibliography: Books on Disaster For Kids

En Español

AGES 3 - 8

1. Tornadoes by Seymour Simon. Ages 4 - 8. How and why tornadoes form, how they behave, how scientists predict and track them, and what to do to protect yourself.
   
   
2. The Big Flood by Wendy Pfeffer and Vanessa Lubach. Ages 4 - 8. How one community responded when the Mississippi River flooded in 1993.
   
   
3. Hurricane by David Wiesner. Ages 4 -8. A giant storm is experienced through the child's perspective. How two boys turn their hurricane-torn backyard into an adventure land.
   
   
4. The Magic School Bus Inside a Hurricane (Magic School Bus Series) by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen. Ages 4 - 8. A tropical storm catches the Magic School Bus inside the eye of its hurricane, providing firsthand information on changes taking place in air, sea and land.
   
   
5. Fire Truck by Peter Sis. Ages 4 - 8. A little boy wakes up one morning to discover he's turned into a fire truck. The book focuses on his imaginative rescue missions.
   
   
6. No Dragons for Tea: Fire Safety for Kids and Dragons by Jean Pendziwol and Martine Gourbault. Ages 3 - 8. A low-key approach to fire safety for kids.
   
   
7. Emma and the Night Dogs by Susan Bivin Aller and Marni Backer. Ages 4 - 8. Inspired by the Connecticut Canine Search and Rescue, Inc., the book presents a touching view of search dogs in action through a fictional story about a lost boy.
   
   
8. Boy and a Bear, The Children's Relaxation Book by Lori Lite. Introduces 3-to-9 year old children to a relaxation technique called circular breathing, an effective technique for helping children decrease anxiety levels and manage stress associated with traumatic incidents.

AGES 9 - 12

1. Blizzard: The Storm that Changed America by Jim Murphy. Ages 9 - 12. Historical account of the blizzard of 1888 that hit the East Coast and how people survived.
   
   
2. Forest Fires: Natural Disasters by Luke Thompson. Ages 9 - 12. Fact-filled book that explains how and why forest fires occur.
   
   
3. Terrorism (Crime, Justice and Punishment) by Austin Sarat and Ann Graham Gaines. Young adult. Focuses on terrorism in the Middle East and shows how it has affected America. Examines history, mentality and goals of terrorists.
   
   
4. Floods (Restless Planet) by Emma Durham and Mark Maslin. Ages 9 -12.
   
   
5. I Know What to Do: A Kid's Guide to Natural Disasters by Bonnie S. Mark, Aviva Layton and Michael Chesworth. Ages 9 - 12.
   
   
6. Rescue (Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books) by Claire Watts. Ages 9 - 12. A reference book that teaches children about emergency rescues. Includes information on how to survive until help arrives.

UNSPECIFIED READING LEVEL

1. Emergency Animal Rescue Stories: True Stories about People Dedicated to Saving Animals from Disasters by Terri Crisp. A dedicated Emergency Animal Rescue Services (EARS) team saves animals from well-known natural and man-made disasters.
   
   
2. Storm of Spirit by Nancy Martin-Rouse. Tribute to children and families who have survived natural disasters.
   
   
3. Disaster Relief workbooks, including My Earthquake Story, My Tornado Story, My Flood Story, My Fire Story and My Hurricane Story. To order, go to: http://www.cphc-sf.org/disaster_books.htm

Freebies for Disaster Action Kids

Note: This is a partial list, and FEMA cannot guarantee that these books will be available. Please let us know if there are additional books you recommend on the subject of children and disasters.