Title: Wild Weather
Series: Science Comics
Author: MK Reed
Illustrator: Jonathan Hill
Release Date: April 16, 2019
Publisher: First Second Books
Review Spoilers: N/A
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I have been meaning to check out the Science Comics series for a long time but their latest release, Wild Weather, finally got me. I’m raising kids in Tornado Alley and so weather is a big deal to us. It’s a big deal to everyone. As I write this review I’m looking out the window wondering if my back fence is going to finally get blown down once and for all. (It’s been a rough, windy year so far.)
Science Comics: Wild Weather doesn’t just focus on the wildest weather. As the subtitle says, it covers “storms, meteorology, and climate” as well. It’s a comprehensive look at basic weather topics from the origins of the word meteorology to tornadoes and hurricanes to climate change and more. But rather than present the information in a basic non-fiction format author MK Reed gets creative.
I just want to say upfront that I love the premise behind this book. It features a news weatherman who loses his cool when questioned by the pretty boy news anchor. Hijacking the newsfeed, he leads both the news anchor and the reader on a back-to-basics exploration of essentially how weather works. It’s silly, fun, and conversational.
It’s also educational!
Okay, so, all of the Science Comics books are educational. That’s the whole point. But the humor of a weatherman losing his cool with someone questioning his take on things is something that all ages can relate with and the subsequent science lessons are super easy to follow and understand. The pretty boy anchorman’s opinion on things probably follows along with a lot of kids’ since he complains when things get too technical which, honestly, I appreciated as well.
Wild Weather does a fantastic job of moving quickly through a variety of topics. The segue between them makes great narrative sense and when the book starts focusing too much on the non-disaster related weather topics it resets itself and dives head first into what kids will consider the good stuff.
The artwork is bright and colorful and easily draws kids’ attention. The randomly anthropomorphized storm clouds are cute and the characters’ reactions often funny. Jonathan Hill, the illustrator, really engages readers and depicts weather in a realistic manner. My favorite part of the book was a two-page spread showing the effects of various speeds of wind on a neighborhood street. Very cool. Colorist Nyssa Oru did a fabulous job with this book — and it was really great to see a person of color in a kids’ comic who happens to not only be the main character but a super smart scientist, too!
I can’t wait to share Wild Weather with kids for years to come. Kids will always be captivated by the weather and natural disasters and this book will be a great source of information. I highly recommend it for kiddos in your life that are fascinated by the weather and world around them!
English
Jonathan Hill here: The colorist was Nyssa Oru. She was vital to the art looking so good!
Thank you!! I couldn’t seem to find her name anywhere. She did a fantastic job! I’ll update the article ASAP.