Depending on where you live, the term “natural disaster” may mean different things to you and your family. Perhaps you live in a region vulnerable to hurricanes or earthquakes where discussion of natural disasters starts young. For instance, your child may be accustomed to an annual boarding-up of windows or safety drills at school.
Or perhaps your child is fascinated by science or interested in climate change. However you arrive at the topic, it’s important to approach it with sensitivity, as natural disasters often cause significant damage and leave an enormous impact on human lives.
For its 100th anniversary, Scholastic spoke with experts to identify a set of books, articles, and tips that make starting a conversation with your child about natural disasters interesting and informative. These resources are part of a broader initiative, called the Scholastic Bookshelf, created for Instagram to raise awareness around contemporary issues affecting children today.
Riveting Fiction Books About Natural Disasters
The popular I Survived series from Scholastic highlights several natural disasters in history through the eyes of a fictional main character who uses their wits and know-how to outrun it.
New Orleans-based Barry is swept away from his family by floodwaters in I Survived #3: I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005. In I Survived #8: I Survived the Japanese Tsunami, 2011, 11-year-old Japanese-American Owen, living abroad for 6th grade, has his life upended one morning by the Tōhoku earthquake — the most powerful ever recorded in Japan.
These immersive books use a blend of fact and fiction to grab the attention of kids in grades 2-5 — a key period when young readers are transitioning to more complex texts and chapter books.
In Wildfire, two strangers, Sam and Delphy, join forces in an attempt to escape a raging forest fire and find help. From Newbery Honor novelist Rodman Philbrick, author of the beloved coming-of-age book Freak the Mighty, this is a story about the bonds forged under pressure and hardship, and the kind of friendship that can beat the odds.
