Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm

Today I’m recommending Zap! Clap! Boom! The Story of a Thunderstorm by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Elly MacKay (Bloomsbury, 2023). Like Laura, I grew up in the southeastern United States, where, in late summer, thunderstorms brewed almost every afternoon. I welcomed their drama and the brief cool they ushered in.

Sample page:

Rustling,
murmuring,
rush begins
of whispering leaves
in newborn
winds.

No rain yet.
It’s just a threat—

What’s Especially Clever?

1. The art: Artist Elly MacKay’s green-blue-violet color palette is gorgeous. I also smiled at the shapes of her houses, the children’s facial expressions, and the playful exuberance of the kids and animals. A painting and collage of the whole island right after the height of the storm—featured as a wordless spread—is stunning.
2. The focused topic: Laura Purdie Salas chose a fascinating but familiar weather phenomenon and turned it into a story. This is a concept book that uses the natural arc of a storm as the plot of the story—a storm gathers, builds, strikes, and fades away.
3. Lyrical language: This author is a poet and chooses words wisely. I particularly like her use of the refrain, which is also the book’s title: ZAP! CLAP! BOOM! This appears three times in the book. First, it rhymes with “plume,” then “loom,” and lastly, “doom.” Plume… loom… doom… Those three words alone evoke the story!
4. A red ball: The artist introduced a secondary storyline by placing a red ball on many of the page spreads. This creates a fun game of “I Spy” as we (and the children in the story) look for it.
5. STEM tie-in: The back of the book has a section titled “The Science Behind Storms” that includes this description: “You can think of an air mass like a giant bubble of air. When winds blow them around, these air masses sometimes bump into each other.” The author also includes fun facts, like “lightening races downward at 200,000 miles per hour.”

On a Personal Note…

This book is another example of creative ways to write nonfiction. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, many kids read to learn. When only fiction is available, kids who don’t care about made-up stories may decide they don’t really like to read. We as writers, parents, teachers, or librarians can change this! We can make sure kids have access to excellent nonfiction. By doing this, we encourage everyone to get excited about reading.

What’s a nonfiction book that you’ve enjoyed recently? Please let me know at https://cynthiaargentine.com/contact. I love hearing from you. Thank you!