Where the land is flat, the sky's dome becomes a blank canvas for storms. In this lyrical book, experience a year of prairie storms from the point of view of native wild life who must shelter, hide, escape, disappear, endure and withstand those storms. Watch the sand hill cranes avoid the tornado, the red fox thrill to a soft evening shower, the earless lizard shimmy as it disappears beneath the burning sands of summer, the cougar dodge hail stones, the bald eagle shed sleet and the bison face into the teeth of a blizzard and stand defiant. Each month features a storm typical of that season and a prairie animal in its normal habitat. The prairie biome or ecosystem is explored through its weather, especially its storms. Told in lyrical prose, this story is a celebration of the grasslands that dominates the center of American lands. For Creative Minds: lesson plans for teachers or parents included. Publisher's site has additional lesson plans. K-3 science, language arts. An entire science unit could be created around the contents of Prairie Storms and its related activities. Suitable for a Pre-K to fourth grade comprehension level, younger children will enjoy hearing the narrative and seeing the colorful pictures. --Science Books & Films Pattison’s text is descriptive and refrains from anthropomorphizing. Rietz’s watercolors of realistic animals in various areas of the grassland habitat are a good match. --Kirkus Reviews This yearlong celebration of the prairie features twelve double-page-spread illustrations (one for each month) and lyrical descriptions of animals responding to seasonal weather changes. --Horn Book Guide What drew you to writing, children's books especially? I write because I read children's books to my own children. With four kids, it meant years and years of reading books, during which time I developed a love of the picture book form and a passion for chapter books for kids. I started writing when they were young and have never grown up. What do you hope children get out of your stories? My goal is to help kids enjoy playing with language. Of course, that means a story and I hope they enjoy the story, too. And since Prairie Storms is a non-fiction book, it also means facts. I want kids to have fun learning about the animals and the storms and how living creatures interacts with the weather and climate of their area. But mostly, this is meant to be a great read aloud that an adult can share with a kid, and enjoy a moment of shared pleasure in the words, the art, the sound of literature, the joy of knowing something. What tips do you have to encourage young readers ? Read, read, read. The more you practice, the better reader you will be. And why should you want to be a great reader? So you can travel to places you've never seen, can feel emotions you'll never feel any other way. In Prairie Storms, for example, you'll stand stare into the face of a blizzard and stand, "prairie strong and defiant." Any advice for those interested in writing? Read, read, read. Write, write, write. Practice is the most important thing you can do. If you want to be in a rock band, you don't just pick up a guitar and wind up rich. Instead, you learn how to play chords, how to write music, how to sing. In other words, you practice. Don't expect to sell the first thing you write. You may need to write ten novels before you write well enough to sell well. Consider those books and those years as an apprenticeship and you'll be fine. What is the most rewarding thing about having your books published? Because I'm published, it means I get to visit many places and talk to many people. In that sense, writing and publishing has enlarged my world, made me friends with widely scattered folks. I love the book, as something you can hold and open together. But mostly, I love that creative work can connect people in special ways. DARCY PATTISON , (darcypattison.com) author of both picture books and novels, has been published in eight languages. Her books include 19 Girls and Me (Philomel,), Searching for Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman (Harcourt), The Scary Slope (graphic novel from Stone Arch). Her books have been recognized for excellence by **starred reviews in Kirkus and BCCB, Child magazine Best Books of the Year 2003, Nick Jr. Family Magazine Best Books of the Year 2003, and various state award reading lists. As a writing teacher, Darcy is in demand nationwide to teach her Novel Revision Retreat. Her books about writing or teaching writing include Novel Metamorphosis: Uncommon Ways to Revise (Mims House) and Paper Lightning: Prewriting Activities to Spark Creativity (Cottonwood Press).  Darcy is the 2007 recipient of the Arkansas Governor's Arts Awards, Individual Artist Award for her work in children's literature. Forthcoming in 2012 is a companion book, Desert Bath s (Sylvan Dell), a story about how desert animals take a bath. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Bo