I recently read a book called “Thunder Cake” by Patricia Polacco. This is a children’s book written by an author form my home state of Michigan. I simply read the book because I was looking for a book to read at my child’s school during March Reading month. The book is well illustrated and written, and I enjoyed it very much. The plot is centered on a child’s fear of Thunder, and the child’s grandmother (babushka) from Russia helps the child overcome their fear of thunder. I love the fact that the book has some real ties to Michigan because we have many Russian immigrants, and it is based on a farm, which is also prevalent in Michigan. The book takes you on a journey of making a cake during a thunderstorm, and how that takes the fear away from the child who is focused on making this cake. I love the fact that the cake recipe is actually at the end of the book, which makes it even more fun.
The plot really makes it easy to picture in your mind living through a thunderstorm afraid and looking for comfort from a grandmother. The grandmother hugs the child tightly, and the pictures depict the child and grandmother in a rocking chair. Honestly, I can see myself as that child being folder into my own loving grandmothers arms. The book reveals that the grandmother wants to distract the child from his or her fears. The grandmother tells the scared child the only way to get through a thunderstorm is by making thunder cake. The journey begins at this point as the grandmother coaxes the scared child out of her arms. Then the child and grandmother go all around the farm looking for the key ingredients for thunder cake.
When I worked at my children’s school as a teacher’s aide last year the class I was working in actually read this book. The class was a 1st and 2nd grade split so I was working with the 1st graders when the teacher read this book with the 2nd graders. When they finished the book they made the cake, which was really cool for the children. This book is a wonderful book for children of all ages even if you are 40 years old you can revisit your own childhood fears. I am so happy I read this book as it was fun to read, and I have found that children’s books are just as much fun when you are all grown up!