At daybreak on August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast with overwhelming force, causing the deaths of more than 1,800 people, leaving hundreds of thousands displaced, and earning status as the costliest natural disaster ever. Ten years later, physical, economic, and emotional effects of the storm still linger and the recovery and rebuilding process is ongoing.
Published to coincide with the 10-year mark of the event, several new titles revisit this moment in history with clarity, compassion, and an appreciation for the resiliency demonstrated by those impacted. Insightful and emotionally affecting, these books humanize a catastrophic and complex occurrence by informing readers about specifics, offering examples of sorrow and strength, and providing a resounding—and universally relevant—message of hope.
An Illuminating Overview
In Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans (HMH, 2015; Gr 5 Up), Don Brown masterfully utilizes a graphic novel format to introduce those traumatic events in a manner that kids can comprehend. Beginning in early August 2005 when “a swirl of unremarkable wind leaves Africa and breezes toward the Americas,” the book describes how the tropical disturbance “erupts into a vicious hurricane” that slices its way to the Gulf Coast and low-lying New Orleans, and recounts the events that followed through October 2, 2005, when the city is finally dry. The succinct yet vividly written text, dialogue-balloon quotations (source notes are appended), and digitally painted pen-and-ink images pull readers into the eye of the storm, providing a carefully structured summary as well as intimate you-are-there vignettes.
Like all distinguished graphic novels, the interplay between words and pictures adds greatly to the book’s effectiveness, encouraging readers to slow down and ponder the details of each spread, process and digest the information and revelations presented, and draw thoughtful conclusions. Filled with fluid lines and ominous hues, the paintings vivify the elemental intensity of Katrina: one dramatic double-page illustration shows the storm, a gigantic mass of bruise-colored swirls, approaching the city, which looks small and vulnerable in the distance, while a series of four vertical panels, looking almost like film frames, depict the full-blown destruction of the small (and evacuated) fishing town of Buras, Louisiana. Other scenes zoom in on the human experience and the awful reality of trying to survive: a mother, perched on a rooftop surrounded by churning debris-filled water, clings to her child and exclaims, “Oh, Baby, I don’t think we’re going to make it;” a sequence shows a husband and wife climbing up to their home’s attic, and, as the flood waters continue to rise, “scratch[ing] a hole in the roof with a knife to escape,” while in other attics, the text points out, “people trapped without knives, axes, or hatchets drown.”
Though the narrative is brief, the coverage is wide and penetrating, spotlighting the suffering of those stuck in shelters under unbearable conditions, the dire circumstances at the city’s five hospitals, the injurious effects of the fetid floodwaters, the plight of pets left behind, and more. From these harrowing pages, readers glean an understanding of the lack of foresight and organization that added to the impact of the disaster, and witness instances that span the scope of human nature, from the hateful (a police officer who turned away evacuees trying to cross into the suburb of Gretna with a rifle shot, for example) to the selflessly heroic (members of the Coast Guard, other officials, and just ordinary folks who brought thousands of people to safety). Also covered are the inexplicably slow response from government officials, inter-agency squabbling, and long-in-coming relief efforts. A final spread makes clear the slow recovery, pointing out that as of 2012, only 80 percent of residents had returned to the city (with only 15 percent of the pre-Katrina population returning to the Lower Ninth Ward), but also trumpets a note of hope, as a construction worker and Crescent City native sets piles deep in the earth for new houses (“We’re coming back. This is home. This is life”).
Riveting, informative, and told with great compassion, this nonfiction work makes an excellent starting point for further investigations of Hurricane Katrina. The book also raises significant questions for discussion about disaster preparedness, the importance of quick response and efficient relief efforts, and the lopsided impact of the tragedy on the city’s African American community.
Strength and Survival: Two Novels
In Another Kind of Hurricane (Random House/Schwartz & Wade, July 2015; Gr 4-7), two very different 10-year-old boys, each devastated by tragedy, find friendship and solace when their lives unexpectedly intersect. After a terrifying roof-top escape from their New Orleans home during Katrina, Zavion and his father are staying with friends in Baton Rouge. Zavion just can’t stop thinking about the shocking sites he witnessed, the loss of everything that they owned, and the fact that he and Papa were forced to take candy bars from an abandoned convenience store during their exodus, a debt he pledges to pay as soon as possible. In northern Vermont, Henry attends the funeral of his best friend Wayne, who died in an accident after the two camped out overnight on their favorite mountain. When no one is looking, Henry quietly slips a cherished marble—one that he and Wayne had passed back and forth for luck—out of the treasure box in the casket. When Henry’s mom donates a pair of his jeans to the hurricane relief effort, unaware that the special talisman is hidden away in the pocket, Henry vows to get it back.
Gripping, alternating chapters trace both boys’ quests, revealing serendipitous twists and turns that lead them both to New Orleans and an encounter that will change their lives. Infused with harsh realities and honest emotion, Tamara Ellis Smith’s masterfully plotted, richly nuanced, and lyrically written novel illustrates that order can be wrangled from chaos, hope engendered from human connections, and the strength to move forward found in friendship.
Excited about her 13th birthday, would-be fashion mogul Reesie Boone has already designed and sewn a purple-denim skirt for the occasion and refuses to let talk of a fast-approaching hurricane ruin her fun. Despite her mother’s concerns, her family stays put in their Lower Ninth Ward neighborhood because her police officer father has to work, and Reesie, home alone when Katrina hits, takes refuge with an elderly neighbor. Though she is eventually rescued and reunited with her parents, her personal turmoil is just beginning. The family is torn apart when her mother moves with Reesie to a relative’s home in New Jersey. Still reeling from the anguish of her experiences, set down in unfamiliar terrain, and feeling lonely and disconnected, Reesie tries to hold out hope for Finding Someplace (Holt, Aug. 2015; Gr 4-7) to once again call home.
Denise Lewis Patrick’s novel underscores the fact that the shattering impact of an event such as Hurricane Katrina resonates with those affected long after the storm has ended. Reesie grows in depth and maturity throughout the story, as she blossoms from sheltered and self-obsessed child to a young woman who faces calamity and change with courage and resiliency. Strongly drawn characters, a heartfelt first-person narration, and page-turning momentum add up to an absorbing story and an uplifting message of hope lost and found.
A Selected List of Additional Katrina Titles
Bildner, Phil. Marvelous Cornelius: Hurricane Katrina and the Spirit of New Orleans. illus. by John Parra. Chronicle. Aug. 2015.
PreS-Gr 2—Glowing with pride in his neighborhood and his job, a sanitation worker dances through the sparkling streets of the French Quarter, clapping together trash can “covers like cymbals,” and launching garbage bags into perfectly piled pyramids. Then Katrina hits, leaving behind heartache and a “gumbo of mush and mud.” Though he despairs, Cornelius’s “spirit and will [are] waterproof,” and, with the help of others, he gets down to business. Based on a real individual, this picture book dazzles with a tall-tale-style telling, vivid folk-art paintings, and indomitable élan.
Coleman, Janet Wyman. Eight Dolphins of Katrina: A True Tale of Survival. illus. by Yan Nascimbene. HMH. 2013.
Gr 2-5—When a 40-foot tidal wave smashed the Marine Life Oceanarium in Gulfport, Mississsippi, leaving behind a dolphin pool filled only with “mangled rafters and chunks of roof,” dedicated scientists and trainers launched a frantic search for the missing animals in the nearby Gulf of Mexico, aware that the raised-in-captivity dolphins would be unable to feed themselves in the wild. Suspenseful language, you-are-there dialogue, and stately watercolor paintings depict events right up to the happy ending, and this uplifting book concludes with a scrapbook of full-color photos and a brief glimpse at other memorable dolphin-human encounters.
Dragon, Laura Roach. Hurricane Boy. Pelican. 2014.
Gr 5-8—Unable to evacuate, Hollis, his three siblings, and their disabled grandmother try to ride out the storm in their Ninth Ward home, but rising flood waters force them onto the roof and into an agonizing odyssey that threatens their safety, leaves them separated and desperately worried about one another, and repeatedly tests the boy’s resourcefulness and courage. Underpinned with themes about the importance of family, this taut page-turner brims with haunting descriptive details and believable dialogue.
Larson, Kirby & Mary Nethery. Two Bobbies: A True Story of Hurricane Katrina, Friendship, and Survival. illus. by Jean Cassels. Walker. 2008.
K-Gr 3—Left behind after their family evacuated before the storm, two pets—Bobbi the dog and Bob Cat (so named because they both have bobbed tails)—survive for months in the streets of a ravaged New Orleans, carefully looking after and comforting each other, before they are finally taken to an animal shelter and eventually adopted. Inspired by a true story, this picture book’s upbeat text and realistic gouache paintings celebrate a special friendship and the volunteers who made an important difference.
Philbrick, Rodman. Zane and the Hurricane. Scholastic/Blue Sky Pr. 2014.
Gr 5-8—New Hampshire resident Zane Dupree, 12, is visiting his newly discovered Grammy in New Orleans when they are forced to evacuate due to the storm. When his beloved mutt Bandy escapes, Zane follows the pooch back to his great-grandmother’s house in the Lower Ninth Ward. As the flood waters rise, boy and dog are rescued from the attic by a gutsy girl named Malvina and her guardian Tru, a local musician, but Zane quickly discovers that they are still far from safety. Strong characterizations, a narrative voice that relates heinous happenings with honesty and touches of humor, and deftly treated themes of racial tensions make for a compelling read.
Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Ninth Ward. Little, Brown. 2010.
Gr 5-8—Twelve-year-old Lanesha has the steadfast affection of her 82-year-old adopted grandmother, the ability to communicate with ghosts (including her mother who died giving birth to her), and unwavering confidence in a bright future. With Mama Ya-Ya ailing and Hurricane Katrina fast approaching their neighborhood, it will take all of Lanesaha’s fortitude, resourcefulness, and faith—as well as help from the spirits—to survive. A tale both lyrical and accessible, gritty and magical, that soars with love and hope.
Rose, Caroline Starr. Over in the Wetlands: A Hurricane-on-the-Bayou Story. illus. by Rob Dunlavey. Random House/Schwartz & Wade. 2015.
K-Gr 4—Rhyming verses and texture-swept paintings describe the behavior of animals living in the coastal wetlands of the Mississippi Delta as a tempest approaches, releases its fury, and finally fades away. The frightening intensity of the hurricane is reflected by the dramatically darkening palette of the mixed-media artwork and the increasingly staccato rhythms of the text—“Pounding,/wailing,/hours endless./Blasting,/breaking,/storm’s relentless”—before, reassuringly, the clouds clear, sunset causes “ruby skies,” and the swampland is once again “peaceful,/steady,/sound.”
The Storm: Students of Biloxi, Mississippi, Remember Hurricane Katrina. comp. by Barbara Barbieri McGrath. Charlesbridge. 2006.
Gr 3-8—Poems, prose reminiscences, drawings, and paintings created by youngsters in grades K-12 shortly after the disaster vividly convey what it was like to experience and survive the tempest. Presented in sections entitled “Evacuation,” “Storm,” “Aftermath,” and “Hope,” these entries are strikingly descriptive, heartbreakingly honest, and eloquently affecting. A testament to the resilience of children and reminder that healing and solace can be found in the arts.
Uhlberg, Myron. A Storm Called Katrina. illus. by Colin Bootman. Peachtree. 2011.
Gr 3-5—Named for Louis Daniel Armstrong, the “greatest horn player ever,” a 10-year-old boy makes sure to take his beloved brass coronet along when he and his parents evacuate their flooding home, make their way through quickly submerging streets, and seek refuge at the woefully overcrowded Superdome. When they become separated in the chaos, clever Louis Daniel steps up and blows out “Home, Sweet Home,” a tune that reunites the family and helps provide the courage to carry on. Realistic oil-on-wood paintings and a straightforward first-person narrative tell a poignant tale.
Watson, Renée. A Place Where Hurricanes Happen. illus. by Shadra Strickland. Random House. 2010. (Dragonfly Bks. reprint, 2014).
Gr 1-5—In alternating free-verse entries, friends Adrienne, Keesha, Michael, and Tommy describe happy summer days spend in their tight-knit New Orleans community, how they are separated by Hurricane Katrina as their families cope with the storm in different ways, and their eventual return to their shattered but slowly recovering neighborhood—“a place where hurricanes happen./But that’s only the bad side.” Spare text and light-infused watercolor paintings eloquently portray powerful events and emotions, gracefully acknowledge loss, and convey the strength found in friendship and community.
Woods, Brenda. Saint Louis Armstrong Beach. Penguin. 2011
Gr 4-7—Saint, almost 12, begins his story by describing the colorful sights, jazz-infused sounds, and delectable tastes of summertime in Tremé, near the French Quarter, where he spends his days busking for tourists to raise money for a much-dreamed-about clarinet. When Hurricane Katrina looms, he is evacuated but sneaks back home to ensure the safety of a neighborhood stray dog and soon finds himself in the path of the storm. Filled with spirit and spunk, Saint’s engaging and descriptively robust first-person narration will captivate readers.