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Summary
Summary
An imaginative story of a little boy who conquers his fear of thunder!
When lightning flares in the faraway sky and clouds growl like lions waking, big brother Chad is thrilled by the coming storm. But not little brother Brannon. He looks for a place to hide. Each adult tries to calm Brannon in turn by comparing the thunder to something that's not scary.
But still Brannon runs to take cover. It's not until the thunder is compared to dinosaurs that Brannon loses his fear. He knows all about dinosaurs. He loves them and always wanted to have one for his own. Now, he comforts himself-and his big brother-as he clomps and stomps and rages and rumbles with all the ferocity of Dinosaur Thunder!
Lyrical writing with powerful emotional resonance will inspire the youngest readers to conquer their fears.
Author Notes
Marion Dane Bauer was born in Oglesby, Illinois. She attended community college first, in her home town, and then went to the University of Missouri when she was a junior to study journalism. She quickly realized that journalism was not for her and changed her focus to the humanities and a degree in English literature. She switched one last time to focus on teaching english, which she did when she graduated college.
After her children were born, Bauer decided to try her hand at writing. She started out with a children's picture book, but discovered that youg adult novels were more to her taste. After making a career out of writing, Bauer became the first Faculty Chair at Vermont College for the only Master of Fine Arts in Writing program devoted exclusively to writing for children and young adults.
Bauer is the author of more than forty books for young people. She has won many awards, including a Jane Addams Peace Association Award for her novel Rain of Fire and an American Library Association Newbery Honor Award for On My Honor and the Kerlan Award from the University of Minnesota for the body of her work. Her picture book My Mother is Mine was a New York Times bestseller.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
Publisher's Weekly Review
What do we talk about when we talk about thunder? In Brannon's family, it depends on who's trying to ease the boy's anxieties during a noisy storm. Daddy says thunder is "a big cat purring." Grandma goes old school, reassuring him: "It's only the angels bowling in heaven." But these comparisons aren't quite enough comfort until Brannon's older brother comes up with an example that taps into Brannon's sense of competence: "That thunder is only dinosaurs stomping around. And you know about dinosaurs." Sure enough, fear is trumped by a sense of mastery-at least the kid version of it, which means the ability to name and categorize various dinosaurs with aplomb. Hats off to Bauer (In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb) for turning an emotional truth into a joyful, triumphant story. And thunderous applause for Chodos-Irvine (Light Up the Night), who contributes her best and most elaborate collages to date, alternating scenes of cozy domesticity with Wagnerian visions of what's happening in the heavens above. Ages 3-5. Agent: Ruben Pfeffer, East West Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Linda Pratt, Wernick & Pratt Agency. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Brannon's afraid of thunder, and his relatives' attempts to explain it as "a big cat purring" or "angels bowling in heaven" send him running for cover. But Brannon's also a dinosaur fan, so when brother Chad announces that dinosaurs make thunder, Brannon comes out of hiding. Eye-catching cloud creatures (and dinosaurs) populate the dynamic, inventive illustrations in this satisfying new look at dinosaur mania. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
A storm is coming and toddler Brannon is scared. One by one, the members of his family attempt to calm him with metaphorical explanations It's only the angels bowling in heaven but he can't be soothed, until big brother Chad invokes stomping dinosaurs (Brannon loves dinosaurs), and tranquility is, for the most part, restored. The patterned arc of the story, built on a foundation of repetition, is enhanced by thoughtful use of typeface, with bolded refrains and bright, polychromatic onomatopoeia. The hand-printed illustrations, textured with wallpaper, pencil erasers, and even fingerprints, echo this attention to detail. As Brannon's family tells him stories, we see their explanations subtly expressed in clouds outside the window, only to turn the page and find them amplified by the youngster's imagination. The careful structure of the narrative and friendly ebullience of the illustrations combine in a story equally suited for group or bedside sharing.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-Two brothers wait out a storm. Brannon, the younger one, is afraid of thunder, and with each boom, finds a new place to hide. The grown-ups try to reassure him with well-known salves-the noise is that of "a big cat purring," "angels bowling in heaven," and "clouds bumping together." But Brannon knows about all of those things: a big cat can scratch, bowling pins can fall through the sky, and if clouds bump into one another, maybe one could bump into him. Big brother Chad has the answer; the noise of thunder is "dinosaurs stomping around," and Brannon knows everything about dinosaurs-and nothing about them is scary. He stomps, roars, and rages until a truly frightening boom startles both brothers into Mama's arms. Bauer's rhythmic and simple narrative tells a story to which readers will relate. Chodos-Irvine works her magic with old-fashioned print techniques and rich colors. No new ground is covered here, but the book is lovely for one-on-one sharing nonetheless.-Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
In this perceptively illustrated take on a common theme, an older brother's comment does more than all the supposed comfort offered by grownups to dispel a child's fear of thunder. "When lightning flares / in the faraway sky / and clouds growl like lions waking" Using elevated language, Bauer describes little Brannon's terror in measured tones as approaching rumbles send him under the bed, then into a closet and finally burrowing into a chest of toys. His father claims that the noise is "only a big cat purring," his grandma that it's angels bowling and grandpa makes a remark about clouds bumping together. Their suggestions just make it worse, as in Chodos-Irvine's multimedia monoprints the pajama-clad tyke envisions a gigantic cat springing from the clouds with a feral glare and other violent scenarios. Then brother Chad whispers that it's only dinosaurs stomping around, and that does the trick. Instead of towering figures of menace, the clouded sky fills with huge, amiable looking dinos whose names Brannon reels off with delight. By the end the two sibs are cavorting in a "dinosaur thunder dance" in the middle of the room. This book's big brother provides just the ticket for riding out scary times. (Picture book. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
