The Longest Storm is a timeless, new classic for the forever library

When The Longest Storm arrived at our house it felt like an old friend had come back home. It’s the first book that we’ve read by author/illustrator Dan Yaccarino, and we’re admittedly late to the party. Parents who have elementary-aged kids know his work from The Backyardigans, Doug Unplugged, I Am A Story, or any of his other creations that channel the feelings and emotions of that age. For us, The Longest Storm reminded us of a classic that we loved as a child, Harry The Dirty Dog. Yaccarino’s art style, the brevity of words, the stark-yet natural choice of colors, and the universal story make this a book that any young reader will enjoy.

What’s more, The Longest Storm is an illustrated book about coping and to an extent, emotions. Overt learning about emotions in a children’s book can be akin to touching the third rail. When I teach a class and have to read a book that’s too heavy on teaching those concepts it’s a wave of rolling eyes and lost attention. Emotions, and learning how to empathize in certain situations is a vague concept for adults because it’s all relative to our experiences. However, it’s different for children because every child has a story to tell and this book embraces that aspect about them.

The book is about a family and the stress that they experience during a storm. The storm isn’t named or categorized, but it’s probably a hurricane. It’s a big storm and any kid, regardless of where they live has been through a big storm. That’s important to point out because unless you live in the coastal southeast, or the Pacific Rim, you might not have experienced their power and ability to alter your life.

The Longest Storm starts with the three children coming home to dad while the storm rolls in. Initially, everyone is bummed out, then the kids make a mess, dad gets angry, the kids fight and everyone goes off to their corner. The storm ravages on the outside, which forces the family to come together for comfort, entertainment, and food. Like everything in life, the storm ends and the four family members go outside to deal with the clean-up that has to be done.

The reason that young audiences will like The Longest Storm is because of what it doesn’t say. The illustrations are timeless and have a slightly retro vibe, complete with all of the modern trappings like screens and teenage angst. The text is sparse with the longest page having only two sentences and some pages simply allowing the illustrations to do the heavy lifting.

Most importantly, The Longest Storm allows young audiences the opportunity to feel the book. It covers all of the emotions that any family would encounter whilst dealing with the sudden, close, forced confinement of your family, all while not being sure what the weather will do to your surroundings. Much like a great comedian doesn’t explain the best jokes, The Longest Storm allows readers to find their own story within this story. Every kid has a bad weather story. It may not be on a hurricane level or have even lasted more than an afternoon, but every kid has one.

The Longest Storm is a great good-night book. It’s short enough to re-read it more than once. However,  odds are that you’ll read it once and then the young reader will want to look at the book by themselves.  A similar situation will play out if you read it during storytime, except this time your audience will want to share their stories with the class, so plan your time accordingly.

The Longest Storm is by Dan Yaccarino and available on Minedition US, an imprint of Astra Publishing House.

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