Review of Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening

[Daniel-Davis]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening" by JD Schmith.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

“Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening” is a lyric from Bohemian Rhapsody and is not congruent with the message of this book. Thunder and lightning are explained clearly and scientifically for young audiences. This common phenomenon will not be as scary after reading this story.

William loves to see the world from his bedroom window, especially the lights of the town as evening draws closer. This evening he trembles with anxiety as a storm approaches. Dark menacing clouds, violent gusts of wind, and the acme of the torrent: lightning flashing across the sky! He ducks for cover and calls for help. His father arrives on the scene and assuages the situation, calming William. He jumps right into the science of thunder and lightning, exposing it as natural and good.

Thunder and Lighting They’re Not So Frightening by JD Schmith solves a specific need in her own family. Her son was afraid of thunder and lightning, and she needed a story to convey the truth in a calming way. I love that Schmith put her son in the story; his name is William. Schmith believes that telling children the truth is often the best way to ease their fear and help them learn about their world. I like that this is a commonplace story instead of a fantastic whimsical tale. The photo-realism helps children to empathize with William: sitting down at the window, seeing the storm approaching, fearing the thunder and the lightning flashes, and remembering the way William’s father explained what was happening.

I found some strange elements in the story. There is a black star on a red flag in focus behind William, on the page where William yells for his father. It looks like a communist flag, placed prominently in the scene. It is an unnecessary and confusing symbol painted in the story. Another strange token in the story is the church steeple painted white in stark contrast to all of the houses in town and placed in the very center of the community. That is a slick way to highlight something about Christianity. The art style used throughout the book is delightful, but there is an inconsistency. William and his father are photo-realistic, but the artist air-brushed the father. The difference puts William in focus by illustrating him more clearly than his father. None of these issues detracted from the story, but they unsettled me.

I agree with Schmith’s recommendation. She suggests this story to readers five years old and younger. I learned something new, even as an adult; I didn’t know the real reason thunder booms or lightning flashes. I believe this explanation would enlighten many people. This story had no spelling or grammatical errors and was therefore professionally edited. I give this story 4 out of 4 stars.

******
Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon

[Daniel-Davis]

I love that the author wrote a book for her son, put her son in the book, and then was able to read the story to him. That is so cool. I love that a mom created what she needed as mom.