Cover Reveal Q&A: HURRICANE by Jason Chin

From Redwoods to Island, from Coral Reefs to Grand Canyon, Jason Chin is a master of the nonfiction picture book. His next one is called Hurricane (publishing 5/6/2025) and today we’ll have a first look at the cover. But first, a few questions for Jason . . .

Travis: Hi Jason! I’ve always wondered: How do you choose your topics for nonfiction books? How did you end up choosing hurricanes?

Jason Chin: I want to make books that tell stories and communicate science at the same time. There are many topics that I’d like to write about, but it’s not until I have a story to tell that I’m ready to make a book. My process typically starts when a topic captures my interest and I begin to investigate it more deeply. During this time the topic sits in the forefront of my mind and I begin to see connections between it and other parts of my life. If I’m lucky, one of those connections will spark a story.

Writing about hurricanes was my editor’s suggestion and they quickly captured my interest. The basics of the story were relatively easy to find because they were built into the topic. Hurricanes have a “life story”—they develop under certain conditions, travel and many make landfall before they decay. As I was learning the science my friend told me about her experience in Hatteras, NC during Hurricane Irene. The same storm also impacted Vermont, where I live. Our experiences became part of the book and added a new layer to the story. It is about hurricane science, and also about the experience of a community that is impacted by a hurricane.

Travis: It seems like you always dive headfirst into research for your books. What did that look like for this one?

Jason Chin: There are three strands to the story in Hurricane: the story of the hurricane itself, the work of the forecasting community, and the experience of the community preparing for landfall on Cape Hatteras. My research covered all of these areas. I read about the science of hurricanes and spoke to meteorologists and climatologists. I read about how hurricanes are tracked and forecast and spoke to experts at the National Hurricane Center and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (including a NOAA hurricane hunter!). Finally, I made a couple of trips to Cape Hatteras to speak with people in that community, including emergency managers, first responders, families, and students, and wouldn’t you know it—my first trip was delayed because of a tropical storm! 

Travis: How did you create the art for this book? Was the process different from previous books?

Jason Chin: The illustrations in this book are a little different than my other books. I usually stick to watercolor and gouache, but for Hurricane I used pen and ink as well. I did this for a couple of reasons.

First, I wanted a way to soften the illustrations a little. There is a lot of information in this book and the topic is very serious, and I felt that looser pen and ink drawings would be more welcoming to the reader. I also wanted to give the characters more personality by adding speech bubbles. The speech bubbles fit in better when I used pen and ink throughout the art, so that was a second reason to do it.

Travis: It turned out beautifully. Thank you, Jason!

And now, the first look at the cover for Hurricane by Jason Chin, published by Neal Porter Books/Holiday House, coming May 6th, 2025.

(Click to enlarge)

Credit for the front cover – Courtesy of Holiday House Publishing, Inc.

Credit for the interiors – Interior from Hurricane. Text and illustrations copyright © 2025 by Jason Chin. Used with permission from Holiday House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Filed under: Cover Reveal, Covers