The Thunder Pause

by Sheri Mabry, Anastasiya Kanavaliuk (Illustrator)

Overview

After an angry outburst, a child takes a cue from nature to find calm.

As a storm brews outside, a younger brother takes a green marker to his older sister's favorite drawing. She is so angry that all she can do is yell and stomp away. It’s only when Grandpa applies the thunder pause game he taught her—counting seconds between the lightning flash and the boom—that she is able to control her temper. A perfect addition to SEL collections, this story offers a memorable, practical exercise that kids can use to find calm anytime, anywhere.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807579145
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	10/05/2023
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sheri Mabry lives in a small town in the Midwest. She has a master's degree in curriculum and instruction, a BS in education, and various other certifications. She teaches yoga and meditation and offers writing services to authors. With over a dozen books published, Sheri hopes that each book she writes brings something positive to the world. She spends much of her free time in nature with her two dogs, and is the founder of All Kind Project.

Anastasiya Kanavaliuk is a Belarusian illustrator currently based in Poland. She has illustrated numerous children's books and is now working toward an MA in graphic design.

Editorial Reviews

"A gentle, practical approach to a common childhood issue. Informative and reassuring."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

2023-10-21
A wise grandfather uses nature to help his grandchild grapple with anger.

When the young narrator’s little brother proudly shows how he has contributed—with slashes of green marker—to the child’s drawing of a cat, the protagonist feels anger “like boiling spaghetti,” yells, “You ruined it!” and stomps away. Grandpa shepherds the narrator to his own art room, where they sit during a thunderstorm, calculating how far away the storm is by measuring the length of the pause between the flash of lightning and the boom of thunder. Without mentioning the incident directly, Grandpa helps to draw parallels between the child’s feelings of anger and the thunderstorm. Later, the child begins to feel flashes of anger after seeing the cat drawing crumpled on the floor but then pauses, breathes, and counts, and when the “storm” is far enough away, the child apologizes to the little boy (who in turn says he’s sorry), explains that next time he should ask permission, and suggests they make a new picture together. The adult’s understated response to this common situation is admirable. Attractive, realistic, cartoon-style illustrations use gentle colors to reinforce the theme. The children are appealing, the settings detailed but not location-specific, and the storm dramatic but not scary. Characters are tan-skinned.

A gentle, practical approach to a common childhood issue. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews