Staff Pick
Already a fan of Sherman Alexie, I was excited to share his first children's picture book with my two-year-old. Verdict: Thunder Boy Jr. is a hit! Adults will appreciate the cultural and personal identity themes found in all of his work — digestible for pint-size readers through the protesting voice of Thunder Boy! Yuyi Morales's illustrations are beautiful and vibrant, keeping little readers glued to each page. My daughter's enthusiasm to read Thunder Boy Jr. over and over again is met with the same delight. In her words: "More Thunder Boy, please!" Recommended By Kate L., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his dad, but he wants a name that's all his own. Just because people call his dad Big Thunder doesn't mean he wants to be Little Thunder. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done, like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.
But just when Thunder Boy Jr. thinks all hope is lost, he and his dad pick the perfect name...a name that is sure to light up the sky.
National Book Award-winner Sherman Alexie's lyrical text and Caldecott Honor-winner Yuyi Morales's striking and beautiful illustrations celebrate the special relationship between father and son.
Review
"An enchanting and humorous picture book....This has all of the qualities of a classic story like Goodnight Moon and is destined to be a modern classic, with youngsters wanting repeated readings." School Library Journal (Starred Review)
Review
"An expertly crafted, soulful, and humorous work that tenderly explores identity, culture, and the bond between father and son." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Together [Sherman and Morales] deliver a story that feels both modern and timeless, a joyous portrait of one boy's struggle to (literally) make a name for himself in the world." The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Despite the dad-pleasing message, the book is too funny and real to veer into parental self-congratulation, and Morales's illustrations give great life and specificity to Thunder Boy's Lightning's family." Horn Book (Starred Review)
Review
Echoes of Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian resonate in this vibrant first-person tale....Thunder Boy's energy is irresistible, as is this expansive portrait of a Native American family." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
"Even if little ones don't pick up on the cultural significance, they'll be entranced by the brilliant illustrations and Thunder Boy's rollicking determination to branch out on his own." Booklist (Starred Review)
About the Author
Sherman Alexie, winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, the PEN/Malamud Award for Short Fiction, a PEN/Hemingway Citation for Best First Fiction, and the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, is a poet, short story writer, novelist, and performer. His twenty-four books include What I've Stolen, What I've Earned, poetry, Blasphemy: New and Selected Stories, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, a novel. Alexie has been an urban Indian since 1994 and lives in Seattle with his family.
Yuyi Morales is an author/illustrator whose books have won the Pura Belpre Award, the Christopher Award, and the Jane Addams Award. She lives in northern California.