HAMPSTEAD — Hampstead resident Josh Judge is a familiar face around New Hampshire. He's the one who makes your day when it's sunny out and ruins it when it snows. Now the WMUR meteorologist has teamed up with science teacher Kathe Cussen to write a children's textbook, "Weather Facts and Fun," released last week.

— Jillian Jorgensen

How did writing a book about weather differ from broadcasting?

When I'm the air, words just come out of my mouth. But when I was writing this, I was able to craft my words a little bit more and I really liked that part of it. I liked the fact that I could put a lot of thought into it. And if I didn't like it I could go back and change it, which you can't do in broadcasting. Once it's said, it's said.

When did you get the idea to write a book?

I go in and speak to a good amount of schools, children in schools at the elementary level. And I've just always enjoyed that. I can't do that every day, but I do as many as I can in my free time. I've just always enjoyed the fact of how interactive kids are, and I get way more requests to visit schools than I can handle because it's just me on my days off. So I started thinking, 'Wow, a good way to get my teaching out there that I enjoy doing with these kids, especially to kids that I maybe can't visit, and a way to keep it with them, too — they buy the book, they've always got it — would be to write a book.'

Did you ever think you'd find yourself being a textbook writer?

No, no, no. But it's cool, because half the people I've talked to are just buying it for their kids or grandkids because they love weather, and all kids seem curious about weather and are interested in it. And half the other people are teachers and schools buying the book.

Why do you think children are so curious about the weather?

Number one, the weather affects everybody. There's no way around it. Everybody in this whole world, obviously. So it is such a huge impact. Kids go out to recess or they have indoor recess. They have snow days. It impacts kids so much. But also, the curious nature of kids, as they're growing up, to look up and see, even if it's just these cotton-ball-shaped clouds, that start taking various shapes, and they like to look back and see what the shapes are.

Do you hope to inspire some future meteorologists with this book?

Absolutely. If nothing else, I'm hoping to inspire people to look at the weather a little differently when they go outside, and to notice it. Sometimes, too often, we're just so blinders-on, going through life with whatever the challenge or task of the day is. So I think it's important to look up and enjoy the weather a little bit.

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