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Flood Warning (Orca 2012) — 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. Chapter book for ages 7-8. Illustrated by Leanne Franson. Order it from Orca Books, Amazon.com, or Amazon.ca (also available as an e-book)

Reviews

CM Magazine – May 4, 2012

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“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.”

Booklist – June 1, 2012

“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.”

Resource Links – June 1, 2012

“[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.”

Canadian Children’s Book News – August 1, 2012

“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.”

Awards and Recognitions

2012: Canadian Children’s Book Centre (CCBC) Best Books selection