The mayor says he is going to prevent tornadoes from happening. He hires a tornado tamer, a weasel. The weasel uses an invisible cloth to make a cover, so tornadoes will bounce right off. People who are "very smart and special" can see the cover. The animals don’t see the cover, but they act like they do, because they want to be smart and special. They give the weasel a lot of money and food. A tornado comes, and everything gets destroyed. This story is like The Emperor's New Clothes, only with a cover, not clothes.
I like the mouse character. He doesn't believe there is really a magic cover. He also knows a lot about tornadoes. I like how the animals talk. I like the picture where the weasel is really fat. The clothes the animals are wearing are funny. They are dressed like cowboys, western people. There are lots of facts and an experiment in the back. I like that!
People who are interested in tornadoes will like this book. This book is fun and exciting. It's funny when they carry around the invisible cover.
- Nishaant, Age 7
"This is an amusing rewrite, with bright illustrations and lots of additional information in the back about weather in general and tornadoes in particular."
"From the beautiful illustrations to the magically crafted story line, Tornado Tamer is a unique and colorful book that is sure to please...I really enjoyed this book, and so did my 3 year old niece! I also like the underlying moral of the story that, “if it sounds too good to be true…it probably is.” That is a lesson I have learned several times in my life! Tornado Tamer not only kept my niece’s attention, but there were also four additional pages in the book of learning activities…to include instructions on how to make your own tornado out of a bottle. She loved it all! You will want to check it out for yourself."
Tornado Tamer is an adaptation of The Emperor's New Clothes. A town lives in fear of being destroyed by a tornado. In order to ease the fears of the townspeople, the mayor hires a tornado tamer to erect a magical cover over the town. But the cover is so thin and light that it’s almost impossible to see or feel. Soon, a tornado is spotted heading for the town and the magical cover is put to the test.
I really enjoyed reading this book with my kids. It gave us a chance to talk about tornadoes, scam artists, and peer pressure. Not only is this book a fun story, but it also teaches kids some valuable lessons about going along with the crowd and learning to recognize a scam. It has some activities and information about tornadoes on the last two pages that tie in to the story and engage kids in learning about weather.
Weasels are associated as being conniving creatures, and the one in this story plays that part well! Tornado Tamer tells of a town of animals who are in fear of a tornado touching down. Mayor Peacock hires a weasel who claims to be a "Tornado Tamer". Everyone in town is on board with what the weasel has to say, but there's a mouse who is very cautious and not so sure that what the weasel says is true. In the end, a tornado does touch down and the townsfolk learn they were blindsided.
Throughout the story, the mouse talks scientific snippets about tornadoes and their effects. Children can learn, via the mouse, what tornadoes are like. There's also a moral to the story that you shouldn't always believe what you see or hear. Just because someone claims to be an expert doesn't necessarily make it true.
The story has several strong points. It is a good story where the people are deceived by a sly and cunning individual. But not only is the story fun to read and the illustrations captivating, the story line brings in facts about tornadoes. Super good learning opportunity and really gets an A+ in my book for entertaining, enthralling, and educational.
This is an amusing rewrite, with bright illustrations and lots of additional information in the back about weather in general and tornadoes in particular.