Boom!: Big, Big Thunder & One Small Dog

PreS-Gr 2—Rosie considers herself a brave dog. After all, she does everything that her little boy does. She's not afraid of the cat or any fearsome animals she's seen in books. Even loud noises like sirens don't frighten her. And the scariest thing of all for dogs-the bath-doesn't even faze her. But one clap of thunder will sent her scuttling for somewhere she will feel safe. It is only when her boy wraps her in his arms and cuddles her that Rosie feels completely secure. Just as the pup learns how to deal with thunder, so will young children who share the same concern. The trim size echoes the largeness of the thunder versus the tininess of the dog, and the relatively soft tones even when the storm is at its wildest make this potentially scary experience appear surmountable. Pair this book with Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake (Philomel, 1990) to see how a grandmother helps a child deal with her fear of thunder.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA