Children's Fiction Farm & Ranch Life
Flood Warning
- Publisher
- Orca Book Publishers
- Initial publish date
- May 2012
- Category
- Farm & Ranch Life, Disasters, Post-Confederation (1867-), General
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781459800687
- Publish Date
- May 2012
- List Price
- $7.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781459802438
- Publish Date
- May 2012
- List Price
- $0.99
Add it to your shelf
Where to buy it
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age: 6 to 8
- Grade: 1 to 3
- Reading age: 6 to 8
Description
Tom loves running through cow fields with his best friend, Peggy, and his dog, Amos—especially when he's pretending to be his favorite radio hero, the Lone Ranger.
But when Tom learns the nearby Fraser River is about to flood, he may have to become a real-life hero and help save his family's herd of dairy cows. This story is based on real events that happened in the farming community of Agassiz during the Fraser River flood of 1948.
About the authors
Jacqueline Pearce is the author of 12 books for children and teens. Her novels and nonfiction explore her fascination with local history, people, nature and animals, including Dog House Blues and The Truth About Rats, which were written for the BC SPCA Kids Club. Jacqueline has degrees in English literature and environmental studies. She has volunteered for the BC SPCA humane education program for many years and has both fostered and adopted many rescued animals with her family. She currently lives near Vancouver with her husband, daughter, dog and two cats.
Jacqueline Pearce's profile page
Leanne Franson spent her childhood winters in Regina and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, building snow forts while her dad watched hockey games on TV. She was a really bad skater -- but she could draw really well! In 1991, after she finished her BFA in Montreal, she started illustrating books. Leanne is fluently bilingual and has worked on books in English and French, illustrating in total over 100 picture books, chapter books, and textbooks. In 2012, she and her teenage son Benn returned to Saskatchewan, where she draws and makes ceramics in her acreage studio.
Awards
- Commended, Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year
- Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
Excerpt: Flood Warning (by (author) Jacqueline Pearce & Leanne Franson)
"I don't know," Peggy said. She pointed to a spot where a section of sandbags had fallen over and left a gap. "Those sandbags don't look like they could stop much."
She glanced up at the sun, which was getting lower in the sky.
"I've got to get home to help with milking," she said.
"Me too," said Tom. There was never a holiday from milking.
Reluctantly, Tom turned away from the widening brown river. If there were a flood, what would the Lone Ranger do?
Editorial Reviews
"A delightful and exciting story about a young boy who, in 1948, helped save the family cattle herd by using his wits and by helping his family. This story takes place in a much simpler time for children, a period when they learned from nature and used the skills that they developed from play and the hard work of doing chores and helping on the farm. This little snippet of history is an interesting insight into the past in British Columbia and will not only be a fun read for any child but a useful resource for the study of community and Canadian history for young children."
CM Magazine
"Offers an accessible, well-paced read while conveying the nature of floods, from preparations—such as shoring up with sand bags and moving furniture upstairs—to the geological impact. There are suspenseful moments and light touches throughout...Black-and-white drawings of characters, rural settings, and scenarios provide historic flavor to the story, which is based on the real Fraser River flood of 1948."
Booklist
"[Pearce] effortlessly weaves the story of friendship, co-operation, loyalty, family, unity, charity and selfless heroic efforts...The reality of the events [is] brought into perspective by the expressive and energetic pencil and watercolour illustrations...A heroic historical fiction novella for any child's library, expressing good values as well as a sense of adventure."
Resource Links
"Those librarians trying to feed the keen appetites of new chapter-book readers might offer Flood Warning, a book about responsibility set in an exciting crisis situation...Franson has been illustrating children’s books for several decades. I admire the way she conveys mood, time and place with a few lines...The generous number of illustrations of the happy dog and the stubborn cows will delight recent graduates from picture books as they proudly forge through this 'meaty' easy-reader."
Canadian Children's Book News
Librarian Reviews
Flood Warning
It’s post World War II, the spring of 1948 in the Fraser Valley and farmlands around Agassiz are threatened as the Fraser River rises dangerously. Since young Tom’s father is off helping to sandbag the river banks, Tom dutifully works with his mother to save their small dairy herd, thanks to the inspiration of his alter-ego, the Lone Ranger. This junior historical fiction novel is very topical and based on true events similar to those still occurring throughout Canada. Realistic depictions of flood preparations, a tent city, evacuation trains, community co-operation and the rigors of farming highlight this lively story. Each short chapter ends with a sense of urgency that propels the reader forward.The author has written several books for children. Flood Warning is part of the Orca Echoes Series of age-appropriate early chapter books.
Source: The Association of Book Publishers of BC. BC Books for BC Schools. 2012-2013.
Flood Warning (Orca Echoes)
Our local children’s librarian complains that there are not enough easy novels with interesting plots to fill the requests of emerging readers. Those librarians trying to feed the keen appetites of new chapter-book readers might offer Flood Warning, a book about responsibility set in an exciting crisis situation.The events of the significant 1948 Fraser River flood near Agassiz, British Columbia, form the framework for Jacqueline Pearce’s new book. When the Fraser overflows, Tom’s family moves into action. With the images of his favourite radio hero, the Lone Ranger, on his mind, Tom wants to join his father on the sandbag crew. But he is assigned the less glorious detail of staying home to help his mother shift furniture to the top floor. The water keeps rising, and Tom swiftly carries out his plan to lead the family’s flood-threatened dairy herd to safety in the graveyard. As the crisis subsides, Tom enjoys his parents’ recognition of his new maturity, but at the same time, he realizes that he still simply wants to play with his friends.
Leanne Franson has been illustrating children’s books for several decades. I admire the way she conveys mood, time and place with a few lines: the 1940s clothing of the worried children in the foreground and the majestic mountains in the background. The generous number of illustrations of the happy dog and the stubborn cows will delight recent graduates from picture books as they proudly forge through this “meaty” easy-reader.
Source: The Canadian Children's Bookcentre. Summer 2012. Volume 35 No. 3.
Flood Warning (Orca Echoes)
Based on real events that happened in the farming community of Agassiz, British Columbia, during the Fraser River flood of 1948, this is the story of Tom, his best friend, Peggy, and his dog Amos. Tom loves to pretend he’s the Lone Ranger but has to become a real hero and help save his family’s dairy cows from the flooding Fraser River.Source: The Canadian Children’s Book Centre. Best Books for Kids & Teens. Spring, 2012.
