Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

Philomel Books, New York, 1990.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 0-399-22231-6.

Polacco draws on the old world flavor of her Russian heritage in this tale about overcoming fear.

Loud claps of thunder herald the onset of a storm, while Granddaughter shivers terrified under the bed. Grandma (Babushka) entices her out with the promise of baking a Thunder Cake. Together, they locate a recipe and set about assembling the ingredients. First come the frightening obstacles of obtaining eggs from "mean old Nellie Peck Hen" and milk from "old Kick Cow".

All the while lightning flashes, and Grandma counts until the thunder roars to calculate how far away the storm is--one mile per second. It's getting closer and closer as Granddaughter enters the scary dry shed for flour, sugar and chocolate. The last formidable task is to climb high on the intimidating trellis to pick three overripe tomatoes.

The time gap between lightning and thunder is closing quickly as they hurry to mix up the cake and get it in the oven. Waiting for the cake to bake, Grandma commends Granddaughter for being so brave. She had overcome her fear in every step of collecting the needed staples. Why should she be afraid of a sound?

As the rain pours down, the lightning flashes and the thunder booms, Grandma and Granddaughter enjoy their sweet Thunder Cake without a care. Granddaughter "never feared the voice of the thunder again."

Polacco includes the recipe for Thunder Cake on the last page. It makes a nice snack to end a storytime following this book. I love to read this one dramatically with all of the KA-BANGs and BAROOOOMs of the thunder. Although it is a little long to read aloud at a program, the pace can be expedited as the characters hurry to keep ahead of the storm. Children also love to help count as the storm gets closer.

Narrative skills may be enhanced by relating the sequence of gathering items for the cake, and the encroaching nature of the storm. On an emotional level, young ones may learn that fear can be overcome when you focus on some other purpose.