Raindrops on a Roller Coaster: Hail (Bel the Weather Girl) Paperback – Illustrated, January 1, 2016

Belinda Jensen's story is both entertaining and educational. Bel is an adorable and lovable character. Many children, pets and adults are frightened by common summer storms. What a great way for the whole family to become more educated about storms and less frightened by Mother Nature. Great work!

The author is our local meteorologist. We love Bel

Exceeded all expectations! Love the story with a teaching moment. I learned something and thought it was just for the little ones. My favorite new gift! May even want to go and buy a Stormy dog ;)

We love all the Bel books and this one did not disappoint!

Great book and story written by Belinda Jensen. Colorful pictures and another great story about the weather.

Great way to explain weather to children

Bel and her cousin, Dylan, were playing outside when “dark clouds blocked the sun” and “lightning zigzagged in the distance.” Bel knew a lot about weather and wasn’t frightened, but Dylan and Stormy dog quickly headed inside. The thunder began to rumbled and the rain began. Of course Dylan felt safer under the table, but because Bel’s Mom was a meteorologist, she knew “what to do to stay safe.” It really wasn’t necessary to hide out under that table with Stormy.Something began crashing down on the roof and Dylan was certain the house was coming down. Plop! Plop! Plop! Little ice balls began falling in the yard bouncing off the playset and into the yard. “The house isn’t falling.” Bel explained, “Hail is!” It seemed odd to Dylan that hail would fall in the summer, but that’s when it always happened, especially during thunderstorms. Bel decided to tell Dylan all about hail. “Weather isn’t so scary once you understand it!”Bel began by talking about storm clouds and how they “are full of rain and wind.” The raindrops didn’t always fall right to the ground, but rather were carried to the top of the clouds. It’s brrrrrr, cold way up in the clouds to the “raindrops get an icy jacket” and “turn into tiny balls of ice.” Around and around they’d swirl into the clouds, getting more jackets of ice each time they flew up. Do you know how big hailstorms can get? If not, you’ll know after Bel tells you about them in this book!This is a fun tale that features Bel the Weather Girl talking about thunderstorms and hail. This is a beginning chapter book the newly independent reader will be able to tackle with a bit of assistance. Throughout the text there are snowball-shaped sidebars offering up safety hints or discussing key concepts about the weather. For example, we do learn in part that “Hail sounds loud and scary, but hail-related injuries are not common.”. In the back of the book is a recipe for measuring melt, an index, a glossary, and additional recommended book and website resources to explore.BEL THE WEATHER GIRL:A Party for Clouds: ThunderstormsThe Sky Stirs Up Trouble: TornadoesWeather Clues in the Skies: CloudsSpinning Wind and Water: HurricanesA Snowstorm Shows Off: BlizzardsRaindrops on a Roller Coaster: HailThis book courtesy of the publisher.

This series of books is fantastic! So many kids (and many adults) are anxious about the weather, understanding the weather helps make it less scary. These books are great to read with your kids, make great gifts and are a must have for any school or community library. The author thought of everything, at end of the book there are experiments you can do at home or in class, a glossary, and even recommend books and websites for further reading.