Island Storm

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.

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 bear witness to 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 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Brian Floca
Publisher: Neal Porter Books
Published: 07/22/2025
Pages: 48
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.94lbs
Size: 11.13h x 8.35w x 0.41d
ISBN: 9780823456475
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/07/2025
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 06/01/2025
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2025
Shelf Awareness 05/21/2025
Booklist 06/01/2025 pg. 91
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2025 pg. 69
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2025 - Outstanding, Noteworthy In Style

About the Author
Brian Floca is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Medal winning and New York Times bestselling book Locomotive, as well as Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 and Lightship, both of which garnered Sibert Honors. He is also the illustrator of the popular Poppy series, by Avi, and Richard Jackson's With Dad. Visit him at BrianFloca.com. Born and raised in Temple, Texas, he now lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

Sydney Smith is the author and illustrator of Do You Remember? and of Small in the City, which received eight starred reviews and a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators. He is the illustrator of My Baba's Garden and the Schneider Book Award winner I Talk Like a River, both written by Jordan Scott. He is a recipient of the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award, two Governor General's Awards for Illustrated Children's Books, and four New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book of the Year citations, among other accolades. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with his wife and two sons.