The book is about life experiences — love, loss and healing. Both children and adults will enjoy this book. It is a brilliant book that took William Joyce 13 years to write. The book began as a tribute to a friend, but after Hurricane Katrina devastated Joyce’s home state, his book was put on hold. Joyce visited children in shelters and saw firsthand the healing power of books. So the storm in the book is a combination of Katrina and the cyclone in the Wizard of Oz. Joe Bluhm’s illustrations are stunning. Bluhm uses brown hues similar to the opening of Oz, to give the stark effect of the storm in the book. As Morris wanders, the book is full of colourful and expressive illustrations.The story line reveals many real life issues which teachers can draw from . Most of these children will be able to relate to .
Don’t miss the 17-minute silent film that inspired the picture book. It is also included in the app.
I strongly recommend this to all teachers for classroom use.
I also found the video clip describing the making-of very entertaining .
English Level: B1+ (ALTE FRAMEWORK) /AGES 4-12 BILINGUAL