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

[Kaitlin Licato]

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

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4 out of 4 stars

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Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening by JD Schmith tells the story of a boy named William who loves to look out his window before bed. One night, a thunderstorm arrives while he is looking outside. He becomes frightened, thinking the storm might come into his room. His father comes in and explains what thunder and lightning are. The boy is no longer scared of the lightning and can return to sleep.

I enjoyed this book. The pictures are interesting, albeit a bit subdued and in dark shades. My favorite part, though, was the explanation that the father gives about thunder and lightning. First, he provides a figurative explanation involving why nature makes the rain and the lightning. Then when the boy asks what thunder and lightning are, he gives a more scientific basis. I thought both could be useful for kids, as some kids might not understand the scientific one but could understand the first one. I liked it a lot for that reason.

One thing I didn't like is that during the scientific explanation, there's just a picture of lightning. Since it describes a process, I think it would have been better to illustrate the process. This could even have taken on a cartoon form, with a clap of thunder being a sound effect. I think it would be more educational to have a picture illustration. That page is quite wordy as well, so the picture would tie it all together. I think it was a missed opportunity to further a child's understanding.

I would recommend this book to parents of young children. It offers a great set of explanations as to the origin of thunder and lightning. I appreciate having a figurative one that might work better for little kids and a scientific one for older children.

I give the book Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening by JD Schmith 4 out of 4 stars. It offers an understandable explanation for thunder and lightning with a minimum of editing mistakes. I will definitely be reading it to my child.

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Thunder and Lightning, They're Not So Frightening
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