Storm Codes

by Tracy Nelson Maurer

Book Overview

Storm Codes presents the sights and sounds of Great Lakes shipping in the late 1960s through seven-year-old Katy's story of hope and determination. As a fierce ice storm rips through northern Minnesota, Katy and her mother wait restlessly for her father's ship to return to their harbor in Duluth. Storm Codes vividly combines historically based illustrations with nautical terms and descriptions. Katy even creates her own secret code to help bring her...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 089317064X
• ISBN13: 9780893170646
• Release Date: July 2007
• Publisher: Windward Publishing
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Age Range: 17 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 12

Customer Reviews

Deserves award

The book is wonderful, the illustrations great for adult and child alike. It truly gives a flavor of the great lakes and the wonder of the weather and the power of nature. Christina Rodriguez truly illuminates the text in a way that speaks of significant knowledge and insight. A book to keep.

My Kids' New Favorite Book

WOW! What a fun book. My kids never tire of hearing and reading this book. We parents enjoy it too. Tracy Nelson-Maurer paints vivid images in our minds of how life is in November on Lake Superior. We bought this book for the libraries at both of our childrens schools.

Stories for Children Book Review

This is one of the most beautifully illustrated children's books that I've ever seen! The setting is Duluth, Minnesota, in the 1960s. During a raging ice storm, seven-year old Katy is worried about her father's safe return from Lake Superior to Duluth Harbor. He is the captain of the Edward B. Greene, an ore boat that stretches about 600 feet long and carries cargo such as taconite (pellets of baked iron ore) from Duluth to ports on some of the other Great Lakes. As the storm rages on, Katy and her mother "batten down the hatches" at home, while Katy hopes that her father is doing the same on his ship. As she listens to the foghorn's "baaaah-rum" noise, she can see out the kitchen window that the foghorn is keeping time with the Harbor's lighthouse beacon. The combination of the foghorn sounds and the light flashes speak in codes to Great Lakes sailors, with each port having its own special series of flashes and sounds. Katy imagines that the rhythm of her own heartbeat is sending her own special code to her father, guiding him safely home. In the morning, Katy and her mom head out in the raw weather to go to the canal at the mouth of the Harbor to await the arrival of the Edward B. Greene and Papa. The phone lines are down and the power is off from the force of the ice storm, so Ma decides they should wait where they can see any arriving ships. Before the leave home, Katy runs to her bedroom to take along with her the three "good-luck" pellets of iron ore that her father had given to her. They sit at the mouth of the Harbor, on a bench. Katy sends her secret code to her father - her heartbeat - Buh-bump! Buh-bump! Buh-bump! Come home! Come home! Come home! In the far distance, Katy's mom spots a small dot on the horizon with her binoculars. Could it be Papa's ship? This is a historically based book that kids will love, not just for the great story and terrific illustrations, but also for learning the "secret" of the nautical codes of the Great Lakes sailors as well! About the Author and Illustrator: Author Tracy Nelson Maurer grew up near Duluth, and her grandfather was the late Captain Harvey C. Almstedt, skipper of the real Edward B. Greene. Her grandmother, Alice, knew everything about the boats coming in and out of the harbor; it was often joked that she knew more than her husband on this subject! Tracy now lives near Minneapolis with her husband and two children, and is the author of many nonfiction children's books. Illustrator Christina Rodriguez earned her degree in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. Christina is a freelance illustrator and designer - her work has appeared in many children's books. She resides in Stillwater, Minnesota, with her husband and dog. Both Tracy and Christina are members of the Minnesota branch of the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), a worldwide organization of over 22,000 members.

Highly recommended for young people who are almost ready to make the transition from picture books t

Storm Codes is a children's picturebook set in Duluth, Minnesota during the 1960s, amid the sights and sounds of Great Lakes shipping were commonplace. Seven-year-old Katy and her mother wait anxiously for Katy's father's ship to return to the harbor; Katy even creates her own secret code to help bring her father back safe and sound. Author Tracy Nelson Maurer, herself a Duluth native, has crafted an emotional tale firmly grounded in nautical history. Storm Codes introduces young readers to basic nautical terms, and the color artwork of Christina Rodriguez perfectly evokes the restless ocean. Highly recommended for young people who are almost ready to make the transition from picture books to chapter books.

Loved the book

My children listened through the whole book. Even the one who always wiggles away. It gives a taste of what life is like on The Great Lakes while telling an important story of comfort for children. The illustrations are lovely.