Tornado, by Betsy Byars
As the twister’s black funnel approaches the farm, Pete, the farmhand, rushes the family into the storm cellar. Mother worries about Father working in the corn field some distance from the house. Just before she climbs into the cellar, Mother sees the dark funnel headed toward the field where Father works. Pete assures her that Father can weather the storm in a ditch.
As the rest of the family sits on pickle barrels and orange crates amongst the root vegetables, eggs, and home canned jars of food, they can hear the wind howling outside and hail clattering against the cellar door. Their minds are on Father out in the storm alone.
Pete distracts them with his own tornado story, one that happened long ago when he was a boy. That day, the twister came so suddenly that the family was eating lunch. His family lost their house roof and found a black lab trembling in an old dog house that had blown into their yard. Named Tornado, the dog became a beloved member of the family. Pete relates stories of how Tornado played cards, protected a turtle, and got outsmarted by a cat.
