Books with title Big, Bad Storm

The Big Storm is the second book in series depicting the adventures of Fatima and Mabrouk the Lucky Goat. These stories capture glimpses of life in modern Oman, with an emphasis on character, practicality, humor and safety.In this story, Fatima and her pet goat Mabrouk survive typhoon Gonu, a very strong storm that struck Oman in June of 2007. The story highlights the resourcefulness of her Omani family in surviving the ordeal, and the way the community as a whole banded together in the aftermath of the storm. The story begins when Fatima travels to Muscat to visit her Uncle Ali's farm, which exists as an agrarian hold-out within the the city. She is excited to ride the famous horse Jamil that Uncle Ali keeps for his old friend the Sultan of Oman. However, during her visit, typhoon Gonu approaches, then strikes the northern coast of Oman including Muscat. The story then describes how her family prepared for the storm, endured it, and rebuilt Uncle Ali's farm afterwards. Despite the serious theme, the story is lighthearted and practical, with useful discussion by the main characters of both the environmental aspects of urban construction in flood plains, as well as personal safety during floods. For example, at one point in the story, when the main characters are trapped on an island formed by the flood, Uncle Ali provides sensible cautions about the dangers of crossing any stream or desert wash when in flood. The story also has a crew of likeable Jinns (related to Genies of European fiction) that appear as secondary characters in the story. During the flood the main characters are trapped on an island where, one after another, large and scary animals swim ashore, providing a few nervous moments. The humorous, somewhat surprising end of the story leaves the readers feeling good about the experience despite the well-known difficulties caused by typhoon Gonu in Muscat.The story comes with a glossary of key Arabic words and place names, a map of Oman, and a note to teachers and parents detailing the factual background for the story.