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| Author: | Pearl S. Buck |
| Illustrator: | Hokusai and Hiroshige |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1947 |
Two Japanese boys survive a tidal wave. Living as we do near the coast, I was surprised that it took my ten year old more than a week to react to the recent devastating tsunamis. Last night, finally, she began to take the tsunamis very personally. "We live at the top of a high hill," she said. "So I'm not worried about what would happen if I were here and the tsunami hit. But, my school is much closer to sea level. What would we do if the tsunami hit when we were at school?" Run uphill, I told her. Run fast. What else should I have said? Today, I paid a visit to my daughter's school. I asked them whether they would be notified if a tsunami were detected. I asked what the procedures would be in case that sort of a warning is issued. I suggested that everyone at the school get together to discuss what the plan would be. | |
Tonight, I read The Big Wave all the way through in one sitting. It is only 80 pages long and it packs a punch. The lovely woodblock prints in the hardcover edition were selected by the author. Here are my favorite quotes in order. The Big Wave: every child over 10 living on a coast should read it. But although the words are simple,
the ideas are difficult to deal with.
-- Emily Berk | |
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