K-Gr 4 Rose focuses on the actions of wetlands animals as they react to the approach, arrival, and departure of a hurricane. Her poetic text avoids the temptation to follow the familiar "Over in the Meadow" formula by varying rhythmic patterns to mirror the storm's energy. As the faint morning breeze intensifies in the bayou, pelicans and spoonbills search for food. A mother alligator returns to her den to keep her babies safe. Under darkening skies and churning seas, fish and turtles seek shelter while the hurricane twists and roars. Staccato pulses of verse mark its destruction before it fades, and the animals emerge to an altered landscape. Dunlavey's mixed-media illustrations reflect this trajectory, growing darker as the storm intensifies. Double-page spreads of bayou landscapes will capture and hold listeners' attention, especially close-ups such as the toothy mama gator carrying her babies in her jaws. Author's notes offer more information about featured animals from the Mississippi River Delta plus background on threats to Louisiana wetlands. Suggested websites offer additional educator resources, and some include student activities as well. VERDICT Even collections far from the Gulf Coast will benefit from adding this effective portrayal of how weather affects the natural landscape and the animals that live there. Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University Library, Mankato

Adapting the old counting rhyme "Over in the Meadow" into a vivid description of a powerful storm, Rose's (Blue Birds, 2015) first picture book sounds like it might make for scary reading. Instead, it offers an engaging, dramatic look at the natural world, focusing on the way animals of the Louisiana bayou protect themselves from the force of a hurricane. In rhyming text, Rose describes how the animals prepare for the storm's onslaught and afterwards enjoy the ensuing calm, while Dunlavey's lush illustrations depict the coziness of the animal families ly two dark-and-stormy double-page spreads feature the hurricane at full tilt. Accompanying a poststorm scene of animals nestled beneath a gorgeous orange-red sky, Rose rhymes: "Over in the wetlands / where the stillness sighs, / turtles glide under ruby skies. / Pelicans cuddle in Mother's wings. / Mama nuzzles her gatorlings." A sobering author's note discusses how wetlands are damaged and threatened by human activity; the opposite page offers additional facts about the animals in the book.