April is traditionally a rainy month; after all, “April showers bring May flowers,” right? Weather can be a bit tricky this time of year as the clash of warm and cold climates creates unexpected storms and showers. Engage younger students in books about April rainstorms and involve older students in learning about weather systems and atmospheric forces at work in our day to day forecasts. Include the Big Universe e-books here in your study of weather!
Weather e-Books for Grades K-2:
A Rainstorm
by Kathy Gleason (author), Sou Saetern (illustrator) © 2012
ISBN: 9781620468081
In this story, readers can use the illustrations and text to make predictions about the experiences of the main character. The detailed illustrations support English language learners.
Wellington’s Rainy Day
by Carolyn Beck (author), Brooke Kerrigan (illustrator) © 2011
ISBN: 9781554692859 AR: / Quiz 143815
It’s a rainy day. Wellington is down in the dumps and can’t resist the smell of his master’s freshly made meatloaf. While his master snoozes, Welly devours every last bite. After he hides the empty pan, he eats the contents of the garbage can too. Honey, a sneaky kitty and Wellington’s archenemy, threatens to tell on him. Welly’s tummy begins to churn and out comes everything he has gobbled down. What a mess! But in this lively, rhyming picturebook, things have a way of turning out better than expected for Welly, and just this once he escapes being blamed for the missing meatloaf.
by Amy Crane Johnson (author), Robb Mommaerts (illustrator)
ISBN: 9781621671541
It’s spring! The forest is full of newborn animals and plants. An April shower frightens Cinnamon, her new cub, and their woodland friends. Solomon Raven explains the importance of rain for animal and forest survival. Follow Solomon Raven and all the woodland creatures throughout the seasons in all the books in the series.
Weather e-Books for Grades 3-5:
Inside the Water Cycle
by William B. Rice
The water cycle is like a circle—it has no beginning and no end. When the sun heats ocean water, it evaporates and forms clouds in the sky. When these particles get big enough, they can fall to Earth as precipitation in the form of rain, sleet, snow, or hail. When water hits the ground, it can change to liquid, soak into the ground, or run off and form streams or rivers. But it always makes its way back to the ocean, where the cycle begins again.
Climate and Weather
by Carla Mooney (author) © 2013
ISBN: 9781618103857
From basic information about air pressure to cloud formations, this book goes on to explain violent weather conditions and how to prepare for them. Also talks about the Earth’s changing weather patterns and climates and what role we play in those changes.
Weather e-Books for 6-8 & Beyond:
Weather
by Michael Contreras (author), Rae Mendiola (illustrator) © 2012
ISBN: 9781620461808
Graphic features are prominent in this book so readers can interpret maps and other weather graphics. The first half of the book describes atmospheric forces that affect weather while the second half depicts a fictional television newscast about severe weather.
Deadly Storms
by Ann Weil (author) © 2012
ISBN: 9781612476315
This series of nonfiction readers will grab a student’s interest from the very first page! Designed with struggling readers in mind, these riveting 64-page softcover books offer short chapters on significant disasters. Each chapter is its own mini-book, which includes a timeline, key terms, and interesting facts. Fascinating black and white photographs keep the pages turning. A bibliography encourages further topical reading. Disasters are inherently frightening, riveting, and involving. Grabbed straight from the headlines, these disasters leave tragedy, destruction, and years of anguish: Cyclones, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, The Perfect Storm, Hurricane Katrina, and more.