Flood Disasters

How does an author appeal to a young reader when the topic is about the volatile earth? Two picture books that came my way took care to soften the brutal reality of such trauma.

Selvakumar Knew Better by Virginia Kroll (2006) tells the story of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004 by featuring a family’s dog. Selvakumar sensed a mighty earthquake and tsunami before his human family did. With a little personification, Kroll uses this pet to introduce readers to canine perception and earth science. Illustrations by Xiaojun Li takes a cue from Kroll’s text to focus on the characters, not on the terrifying destruction. This book is based on a true story of how Selvakumar doggedly worked to save seven-year-old Dinakaran from the tsunami that engulfed their village.

River Friendly River Wild by Jane Kurtz (2000) describes the 1997 Red River flood in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Kurtz experienced this flood herself as a child. Her text is poetic. She worries about her cat, Kiwi, and her friend, Sarah. Her parents help her cope with the trauma of losing almost everything – her home and “one terrific neighborhood”. The Red River subsides, but a new dike through the neighborhood makes it uninhabitable. Neil Brennan’s beautiful paintings have a softness that tempers the raw reality.

I benefit from these stories in the same way I hope some readers will. I watch online videos captured by the inhabitants of these neighborhoods. I watch professionally made documentaries. I learn about people and geography far from my own home. I’m always in awe of the volunteers who show up to help with recovery. Both stories end with an appreciation for relationships despite the loss of things.

I wrote Picture Book Talk lessons for both Selvakumar Knew Better and River Friendly River Wild. The first is read aloud online by christine’s english read aloud. The latter I didn’t find read aloud.