The Story of Lightning & Thunder
Bibliographic data
Bryan, Ashley. 1993. THE STORY OF LIGHTNING AND THUNDER. Ill. by Ashley Bryan. New York: Macmillian Publishing Company. ISBN 0689318367
Brief plot summary
Ma Sheep Thunder and her son Lightning live in a East African village in a small hut. Their friend, Rain, helps them when the town needs water, such as when “…the farmlands are dry.” Ma Sheep Thunder loves to stop and talk to her neighbors and the people in the market. Her son, Thunder get impatient and often creates trouble while his mother is talking. Lightning is not very patient. His impatience gets him and his mother kicked out of the village and eventually they must move to the sky where Lightning will not cause any more harm to the village.
Critical analysis
Bryan introduces the reader to Ma Sheep Thunder and Lightning by telling the reader about a “long time ago” and explaining about the beginnings of Africa and how the mother and son lived during this time. Bryan also provides vividly colorful illustrations to show the reader some of the mischief that Lightning got himself into. These elements help the reader to connect with the characters and to understand Ma Sheep Thunder and Lightning’s role in the community and how the community depended on them. However, one weakness is that the story itself does not provide the reader with more of a sense of connection with the culture of Africa. The culture itself is hardly mentioned except at the beginning of the story, but the illustrations help the reader to connect with the culture and help to give the reader the connection of the African culture.
Bryan’s vivid illustrations help the reader to visualize the world in which Ma Sheep Thunder and Lightning lived. The colorful clothes that the people of the west coast of Africa wore or according to the story, Africa was called Alkebu-lan long ago. The town’s people have friendly and welcoming faces and each person is unique. There is also a beautiful illustration with several of the village people in their vivid clothes. Some people wear hoop jewelry or are shown playing a pipe. The skin color of each person is different, as well as their hats and hair. One of the biggest strengths of the story is that the illustrations give the reader a deeper understanding of the uniqueness of each individual, and that uniqueness is something that is celebrated and embraced.
The illustrations give the reader a sense of what life in an African village is like, especially with how people interact with each other. It is important to Ma Sheep Thunder to stop and talk with the people, and the reader gets a sense that this is an important part of life in the village. The reader can get a sense of the sorrow that Ma Sheep Thunder feels when she and her son are kicked out of the village. Furthermore, the illustrations give a deeper meaning to the African culture, such as the straw maker selling her merchandise in the market and the king coming to celebrate with is people for the great harvest. All of these elements come together to celebrate the African culture and to welcome the reader to join in the celebration.
Review excerpt(s)
Publishers Weekly: "Joyful in both word and palette," said PW, "this African story tells why lightning and thunder reside in the sky and not on earth, as they once did."
Kirkus Reviews: “There is one of Bryan's uniquely vibrant, swirling, light-filled paintings on every page.”
Connections
-Discuss the relationship between Ma Sheep Thunder and Lightning and draw a picture of Ma Sheep Thunder chasing her son in the sky.
-Get a map of Africa and discuss where Ma Sheep Thunder and Lightning are living.
-Go to a weather map or www.weather.com. Discuss and review what happens when it rains and what elements come together to create rain.
Other African American folktales:
Arkhurst, Joyce Cooper. THE ADVENTURES OF SPIDER: WEST AFRICAN FOLKTALES. ISBN 0316051071
Bryan, Ashley. BEAT THE STORY-DRUM, PUM-PUM. ISBN 0689711077
Bryan, Ashley. BEAUTIFUL BLACKBIRD. ISBN 0689847319
Mandela, Nelson. NELSON MANDELA’S FAVORITE AFRICAN FOLKTALES. ISBN 0393329909
Washington, Donna L. A PRIDE OF AFRICAN TALES. ISBN 0060249293
Black Cowboy Wild Horses A True Story
Bibliography
Lester, Julius. 1998. BLACK COWBOY WILD HORSES A TRUE STORY. Ill. by Jerry Pinkney. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803717873
Plot Summary
Bob Lemmons used to be a slave but is now a cowboy on a ranch in the American West. He knows how to track and is especially good at tracking animals. His journey begins when he sees mustang tracks on the ground. So, he rides with his horse Warrior and follows the herd all day and night and even through a fierce thunderstorm. As the herd begins to accept Lemmons, he has Warrior challenge the herd’s leader, who just lost a colt from a snakebite. Warrior defeats the stallion and Lemmons has the herd follow him to the ranch where the cheering ranch hands enclose the herd in a corral.
Critical analysis
Julius Lester introduces readers to a true story about Bob Lemmons, an African American cowboy who helped shape the American west. Lester gives readers a small glimpse into the life of an African American cowboy and some of the external hardships that they faced in the untamed West. The story shows Lemmons’ determination and patience in gathering the wild mustang herd and how important his role was on the ranch for “[n]o one he knew could bring in mustangs by themselves…” Lemmons braves a thunderstorm along with long days and nights of patiently waiting for the herd to accept him.
One of the biggest strengths of the story is the contribution of Bob Lemmons to American history and the West. However, one weakness to the story is that there is not a strong mention of the African American culture. Bob Lemmons’ early life was briefly mentioned where “Bob had been a slave and never learned to read words.” On the other hand, the story focuses more on Lemmons’ skill and determination in tracking and gathering the mustang herd than on his African American heritage.
Jerry Pinkney’s illustrations truly bring the story to life and add drama and beauty to the story about Bob Lemmons. The mustang horses are breathtakingly beautiful and look as if they are alive and full of energy. The background colors in the illustrations are somewhat subdued, but this helps the main characters such as Bob Lemmons and Warrior to be more prominent in the illustrations. There is one powerful illustration of the whole mustang herd that jumps out at the reader because all of their eyes are looking directly forward into the eyes of the reader. There is one heartbreaking scene in which the mother of the colt that died is refusing to leave her young and the young colt is looking back into the eyes of the reader. Overall, each illustration contributes a depth to the story that captures the heart and eyes of the reader.
Review excerpt(s)
Publisher’s Weekly: “The fluid brushwork of Pinkney's watercolors seem tailor-made for the flow of muscle, mane and tail of wild mustangs galloping across the prairie.”
School Library Journal: “The linkages between the cowboy, the animals, and the natural world are so strong that lines separating them are blurred.”
Booklist: “Lester and Pinkney's manifest love and respect for the West and cowboys of color, whose contributions have been too long overlooked, distinguish their latest collaboration.”
Connections
-Have children identify the different types of animal tracks that are leading to the collection of award-winning African-American books.
-Discuss Lemmons important historical role in the American West and some of the challenges that Lemmons might have come across in his lifetime.
Further books about the impact African-Americans have had in America:
Coles, Robert. THE STORY OF RUBY BRIDGES. ISBN 0439598443
Hopkins, Deborah. SWEET CLARA AND THE FREEDOM QUILT. ISBN 0679874720
Johnson, Angela. A SWEET SMELL OF ROSES. ISBN 1416953612
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. BILL PICKETT: RODEO-RIDIN’ COWBOY. ISBN 0152021035
Ringold, Faith. AUNT HARRIET’S UNDERGROUND RAILROAD IN THE SKY ISBN 0517885433
If You Come Softly
Bibliographic data
Woodson, Jacqueline. 1998. IF YOU COME SOFTLY. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons. ISBN 0399231129
Brief plot summary
Ellie is a Jewish teenager living in Manhattan and Miah is an African American teenager in Brooklyn. They both meet and instantly feel a connection between each other at the Percy Academy. They fall deeply in love and feel as though they have found their life-long partner, someone they can talk to about anything and the special person who truly understands them. However, both are feeling the effects of a prejudiced society, especially when two older white women ask Ellie if she is okay while she is walking with Miah in the park. Both teens are troubled by the talk and stares of other people, but they do not let it break up the strong bond that they have for one another.
Critical analysis
Woodson delves deeply into the feeling and thoughts of Miah and Ellie and gives the reader insight into the internal and external struggles that the characters are facing. Miah is sensitive to the feelings of those around him and cares deeply for those he loves. Ellie openly loves Miah and feels the stares that other people give them, but she embraces her love for Miah and feels that she can never be parted from him. The story has so many strengths that it is impossible to find any weaknesses. Woodson briefly describes what truly happened to Miah at the end of the story, but she focuses more on Miah’s thoughts that go through his head and the tender memories he has of Ellie and his family. The reader gets a sense of the negative reactions of the people around them, but the positives and the delights of Miah and Ellie finding each other and the precious time that they spend together are a major focus of the story.
Miah is very aware that he is black and he never experiences a moment when he forgets that he is black. In the story Miah is talking with his father in the car and his father tells him “[t]hing about white people…[t]hey don’t know they’re white” (134). Miah’s father is pointing out that white people do not think about the color of their skin until they are surrounded by people who are of a different color. Then they start to feel how black people feel all of the time. They start to become aware of their race.
The setting of the story and the plot are interwoven. Miah is not the typical student at Percy Academy. He is black, comes from an economically advantaged family, and is in love with a Caucasian Jewish girl. Miah lives in Brooklyn and Ellie lives in Manhattan. Yet, in spite of these factors, Miah and Ellie stay together which makes their relationship stronger. They both have to face the problems that come with being a mixed couple, but they learn to overcome this thorough the support that they have for one another.
Review excerpt(s)
Publisher’s Weekly: “Once again, Woodson (I Hadn't Meant to Tell You This) handles delicate, even explosive subject matter with exceptional clarity, surety and depth.”
School Library Journal: “This fine author once again shows her gift for penning a novel that will ring true with young adults as it makes subtle comments on social situations.”
Booklist: “As in all her fiction, Woodson confronts prejudice head-on.”
Connections
-Discuss how people of different cultures have an impact on a community, how all people can learn from one another, and how they bring their various cultures and traditions to society.
Other books about racial discrimination:
Ellis, Deborah. BIFOCAL. ISBN 155455036X
Lee, Harper. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. ISBN 0446310786
Woodson, Jacqueline. THE HOUSE YOU PASS ON THE WAY. ISBN 0399239693
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