In Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca and acclaimed illustrator Sydney Smith’s thrilling picture book, young readers will experience the sheer power of a violent thunderstorm and the calm of its aftermath.

A Kirkus Prize Finalist
A New York Times Best Children’s Book of the Year

Can you tell when a storm is coming? Can you feel the wind coming and growing? Do you hear the branches bouncing together, hear the whispers of the wind through the leaves? 

Join in the journey as two siblings witness the steady start, thrilling apex, and gentle end of this island storm. They’ll shelter soon, but first they want to feel it all.  

Sydney Smith is the winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international distinction given to authors and illustrators of children’s books, and his illustrations are fantastically textured and visually spectacular. Paired with Brian Floca’s eloquent, rhythmic text, Island Storm is a multi-sensory experience that will amaze and delight readers. Children who fear thunder can take comfort in seeing it captured in the pages, while those who relish watching the sky crack open can enjoy battling this storm from the comfort of their homes.

A Charlotte Zolotow Award Highly Commended Title
An NPR “Books We Love” Selection
A Horn Book Fanfare Title
Named a Best Book of the Year by Shelf Awareness, Publishers Weekly, the Boston Globe, Quill & Quire, and more!
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
One of Evanston Public Library’s 101 Great Books for Kids