Island Storm

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.

★ Publishers Weekly:

"The wind blows hard, and two children—one taller, one smaller—pull on their boots. “Now take my hand,” one says, “and we’ll go see/ the sea before the storm.” Caldecott Medalist Floca, here taking the role of author, employs atmospheric verse to describe the children’s unaccompanied escapade: “We see the waves coming,/ pushed from the sea/ to SMASH/ on the rocks.” A neighbor out for a walk suggests that the kids head home, but the two nudge each other forward, returning to a refrain: “And then we ask, is this enough, or do we try for more?” Choosing to go on, they find the streets in town deserted, eerie, gleaming. Hans Christian Andersen Award recipient Smith captures the burgeoning storm’s splendid energy in broad strokes and splashes as the sky suddenly opens up and the children dash for home, braving sheets of rain and tree-bending winds, until they’re met by an adult with a flashlight running toward them: “Home to relief, and to love./ Home to trouble, too!/ Home to forgiveness.” The next morning, the children clamber across rocks on the now-clear shore, an adult nearby: “the view across the water is long./ And you and I go on.” It’s a thrilling story about how a shared exploit can deepen camaraderie and trust—and a dynamic look at the dual powers of nature and volition unleashed. Characters are portrayed with pink skin."

★ Kirkus Reviews:

"Caldecott Medalist Floca and Hans Christian Andersen Award–winning illustrator Smith tell the story of two youngsters braving a gale. While their parent collects laundry that has flown off the line, the children—presumably siblings—walk away. “Now take my hand / and we’ll go see / the sea before the storm.” At first that seems the beginning and ending of their adventure as they stand on worn stones watching the waves “SMASH on the rocks and EXPLODE into spray.” Then something compels the kids to continue. “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on,” the author repeats in what feels like a chant. Only too late do the siblings realize that they’ve gone too far; they race for home through the rapidly approaching dark and rain, toward light and warmth and their relieved parent. Smith’s impressionistic watercolor and gouache illustrations convey not simply the horrifying strength of the storm, but also the way the light of day changes and shifts throughout the kids’ walk. The images plunge readers into heart-stopping moments, rendered real thanks to Floca’s incredibly evocative wordplay, capable of eliciting both fear and comfort. Readers will experience this tempest alongside the characters, every step of the way. Yet the true heart and soul of the book resides in the siblings’ relationship as they weather the weather—and more—together. The characters are light-skinned.

The power of nature captivates and compels in this phenomenal tale of pushing limits."

★ BCCB:

"Two siblings bravely venture outside late one day, eager to witness and feel the weight of an impending storm. They watch the ocean waves crashing against stones, and they pass by boarded-up houses on the road while neighbors urge them to return home. Undeterred, they press on, weaving through marshes and meadows, until they reach a town with rain-slicked streets. Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder shakes the sky, and a storm roars to life, chasing them all the way back home until it finally settles at dawn.... Smith’s watercolor and gouache artwork complements Floca’s expressive use of onomatopoeia and alliteration, especially on the dramatic, ever-changing textures of the muted-tone clouds. In the skies, thick and thin swirling brushstrokes add a soft and feathery quality to each cloud until they briskly shift into humongous, layered murky blots that ominously loom over the town in full spreads. As the storm gives frantic chase, the slanted linework conveys the directional force of the wind and rain bending the tree branches, while the framing perspective of the siblings’ house’s window brings a welcome steadiness as the storm gradually subsides outside. Despite the somber mood and tone of the narrative, the recurring refrain when the siblings hold hands, “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on,” reflects their deep trust in each other, reassuring young readers that, even in the face of life’s storms—both literal and figurative—they do not have to face them alone." —Danica Ronquillo

★ Booklist:

"A boy and his little sister venture out into their island town to “see / the sea before the storm”—but before the text even begins, illustrator Smith, wizard that he is, has already conjured the story's stirring emotions through an interior title page heavy with a longing sense of nostalgia and a dedication page filled by darkening gray-blue skies, tilted trees, a fluttering laundry line, and a woman chasing down some garments blown free. As the storm approaches, the siblings watch growing waves crash into the shore; they pass boarded-up homes and various landmarks of their eerily empty town. Between each section of the homey island tour, they pause to consider retreat—but press forward with the refrain “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on.” When thunder booms, though, they run. The blotted watercolor and gouache art takes on a diagonal blur as rain torrents muddle every spread, until they finally reach the safety of home and their mother's arms. Floca's poetic text carries all the quiet suspense and crashing weight of an approaching gale, colored by enough loving detail of setting that it finds something powerfully universal in the specific. An oddly moving ode to childhood, home, and sibling bonds, set to the awesome bass line of nature." — Ronny Khuri

★ The Horn Book:

Caldecott winner Floca and Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Smith team up to create a magnificent, timeless tale of two young children on an adventure close to home. An intense storm is approaching. “Now take my hand / and we’ll go see / the sea before the storm,” begins Floca’s rhythmic and expressive text. The children bundle up and head to the cove, where they witness the waves smashing and exploding on the shore and ask themselves, “Is this enough, or do we try for more?” The intrepid explorers continue, in what becomes the text’s refrain: “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on.” They walk through town, “eerie and empty.” A “BOOM” and pelting rain send them running through cold, dark woods for home. “Home! / Home to relief, and to love.” The storm passes during the night, and the next day dawns. “Now the day is bright and blue, / and the view across the water is long. / And you and I go on.” Floca’s writing is pure poetry; Smith’s expressionistic watercolor and gouache illustrations are utterly gorgeous; and themes of adventure and home, sibling closeness, and the majesty of nature are expertly conveyed. Picture-book making at its best. — Dean Schneider

★ Shelf Awareness:

"In the breathtaking Island Storm, Caldecott Medalist Brian Floca (Locomotive; Hawk Rising) and Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Sydney Smith (I Talk Like a River; My Baba's Garden; Small in the City) tell the story of two siblings on an island who head to the shore to see a storm agitate the sea.

When they arrive, they take in the massive, billowing waves. A repeated refrain in the book underscores their adventurous spirit: "And then we ask, is this enough, or do we try for more? You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on." As the storm intensifies, the children flirt with danger. They take in their surroundings, now "eerie and empty." When a loud "BOOM!" breaks the silence, they "RUN!" through the rain, scared of losing their way. An adult, likely their parent, greets them: "Home to relief, and to love." But also "to trouble, too!" Though the children are met with a tight hug, there's an unspoken acknowledgment of the risks they took.

On one level, this is a simple adventure tale: two children outrun a storm. But it's one that holds many layers of meaning—this brush with danger is a test of resilience and captures the children's unwavering bond. Illustrator Sydney Smith depicts the storm's kinetic energy—its force and beauty—building tension through a striking watercolor and gouache palette: massive dark clouds loom over the island, later juxtaposed with clear blue skies as the storm recedes. A masterful blend of poetic language and dynamic illustration, this story delivers both an edge-of-your-seat adventure and a moving meditation on perseverance and the storms siblings weather together. —Julie Danielson

Discover: With its rhythmic prose and stunning illustrations, this story of two siblings braving a storm is an exhilarating adventure that beautifully explores the quiet power of perseverance."

★ School Library Journal:

"Two siblings decide to go out to look at the ocean before a big storm comes to their community. As the storm approaches, the kids have several opportunities to turn around and go home, but they choose to continue in a game of atmospheric chicken, until the storm finally descends and they are forced to run home, pulling each other along. Smith’s roughly rendered artwork is a perfect complement to the vivid figurative language of Floca’s book, allowing readers to experience what it would be like to stand by the ocean just before a big storm comes. The book also captures the feeling of safety and well-being of returning to a secure, cozy house. This would be an excellent book to support discussion of figurative language or use as a mentor text for showing readers events rather than telling them about them in text. It would also be a good introduction to storm preparation and safety. VERDICT This exquisite book about a stormy walk is full of vivid language. A must-have for any library’s picture book collection." — Debbie Tanner

July/August 2025 Kids’ Indie Next List:

“This is beautiful. The perfect match of text and image bring an island storm to life. You can feel the anxiety. You can hear the cry of the neighbor to ‘go home’ just as you can hear the wind building, the thunder rumbling, and the trees creaking.” —Kristine Jelstrom-Hamill, Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, MA

The New York Times:

"Those seeking examples of sibling camaraderie can always turn to good old “Hansel and Gretel,” with its “Stick Together and You Won’t Get Eaten” message, but for a more positive worldview a new picture book, “Island Storm” — the Caldecott medalist Floca’s first author-only foray, with art by the Hans Christian Andersen Award winner Smith — presents the glory of shared adventure: A brother-sister pair go outside to watch the advent of a stupendous summer storm, then ask each other, “Is this enough, or do we try for more?” The outcome? “You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on.” Given the book’s beauty, readers will want to “go on” right alongside them." —Annie Barrows, Great Children’s Books About Siblings