Katrina?s Story Told Through Children?s Art ?
Book Proceeds Benefit Relief Efforts in Mississippi

A simple truth... The birds knew. Hurricane Katrina was coming.

So begins Story of a Storm, a picture book by Reona Visser and the children of the Mississippi Gulf Coast about the hurricane and its effects on cities, families, and countless individual lives. The story is told through creative and collaborative collage art with simple messages that express profound emotions and describe the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Story of a Storm starts with preparation and evacuation, moves through the stresses of being displaced and not knowing the whereabouts of loved ones, the condition of one's home and belongings, and ends with a message of hope and triumph over adversity.

Story of a Storm began as the idea of Reona Visser, 5th grade teacher at Coast Episcopal School in Pass Christian, Mississippi, and native of South Africa. During the evacuation process, while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Visser felt compelled to write a book about Katrina. She felt fortunate to be able to return to her home in Diamondhead, Mississippi, one day after Katrina hit. Of her home, Visser said, "Buried under a mound of trees, it still looked good compared to the devastation around us. The house was dry and we stayed?camping out with none of the luxuries we take for granted."

The first week after the storm, Visser had her own children draw pictures about the storm. "It seemed like a good way to help them deal with the trauma," said Visser. As friends started coming by to look for Visser and her family, she invited their children to stay at her home while the parents searched through mud and rubble for their belongings. She told both the children and the parents about her idea of creating a book about Katrina with art. The children were enthusiastic about working on the group project. "Some children were dropped off at 7:30 in the morning and stayed until 8:30 at night," said Visser. Two weeks later, when electricity and internet service improved, Visser emailed friends and invited more kids to come and take part in the collage creations.

The result was thirty children, ranging from kindergarten to eighth grade, working on collaborative collages. Each piece of art is the product of more than one child. One child might have drawn the leaf, another painted it, a third cut it out and another placed it on the collage. Visser enabled the children to make contributions to the project at their own level of ability. The artwork is mixed media and was made with materials that they had on hand including cardboard, newspaper, paints and markers, and cotton balls. On one piece of art, a recovered roof shingle (complete with nail hole) was used to depict the asphalt of a road. On another, a student used her necklace to represent wire from a telephone pole.

All of the children who participated are part of the student body of Coast Episcopal School. The school itself was damaged and more than eighty-five per cent of the student body and faculty was left homeless. Despite its damage, the school now serves as a hub for Lutheran Episcopal relief efforts, dubbed ?Camp Coast Care,? assisting more than 185,000 people to date.

About one month after the storm, some teachers were able to return to school to prepare for students to begin the school year again. Visser took the children's artwork to school to decorate the empty bulletin board in her class. Said Visser, "I needed a fresh, happy look when the students returned." Those who saw the works were moved. Volunteers who came through the school snapped photos of the art and talked to Visser about the project and her desire to publish the works as a book.

One such volunteer was Greg Griffith, whose wife, Stacey Griffith, happens to be a graphic designer with experience in designing children's books and charitable-project books. Griffith shared his snapshots with his wife, who was equally moved by Visser?s project. Compelled to see the book become a reality, Stacey Griffith propelled the project by donating her time for art direction and layout, and by contacting Quail Ridge Press, with whom she had worked on other books. Once again, the book's simple and moving message captured hearts and the staff at Quail Ridge Press was won over. QRP enthusiastically agreed to contribute production, promotion, and distribution of the book. Photographer Josh Hailey also contributed his talents to professionally shoot the art for the book?s production. Even the book's printer, Korean firm Sally Kim, generously donated the cost of printing. Visser's vision had become a reality.

Through Story of a Storm, the heart-felt expressions of children through art will evoke emotion and spread the message of hope. Proceeds from the book will benefit the Coast Episcopal School Relief Fund which helps families rebuild their homes and replace necessities. Story of a Storm is scheduled for release in March 2006 and will be available through bookstores, gift shops and directly from Quail Ridge Press at 1-800-343-1583 or www.quailridge.com. Pre-publication copies may be reserved online. The website for the book is also being produced at http://www.storyofastorm.com.

For more information, or to schedule an interview with the author, please contact us: email. Cover graphic and author photos currently available upon request.