What's scarier than thunder?

Gr 1--4--Young Claire can't sleep through a terrible thunderstorm. To distract and soothe her, her father chronicles a litany of situations that are all much "scarier than thunder." In fact, each example is more ridiculous and hilarious than the next: "a snake with big fangs and uneven bangs," "the witch in the woods who tried to sell her baked goods to a goblin named Art who just loved to… sneeze!" As her mom jumps into the game, Claire can't help but laugh and join the fun. The text and illustrations work together, amplifying the energy of the story to a fever pitch. Before Claire knows it, she's so exhausted that she falls fast asleep. Cornell deftly balances reality and fantasy by juxtaposing vivid scenes of Claire's family with the rowdy imagineering of her parents in a palette of blues. VERDICT A fun romp, perfect for story hours.--Jennifer Noonan

A sweet and silly antidote to a child's fear. Claire can't fall asleep after she's frightened by a loud thunderclap, so her father comes to her bedroom to provide reassurance. Instead of offering comfort through meteorological explanations or soothing words, however, he tells her that he overcame his own fear of thunder when he "realized there are so many other things that are much scarier." Though this approach could have easily backfired by introducing Claire to new fears, the scary things her dad describes in bouncing, rhyming verse are funny, not fearsome: "There's a moose filled with custard holding a sword made of mustard." While Cornell's energetic, cartoon-style illustrations use a full-color palette to depict Claire, her father, and the setting, scenes depicting Claire imagining the things her dad describes are cleverly rendered in monochromatic blues. Eventually, her mother joins in on the fun, voicing her own ideas to make Claire laugh. Some adults may wonder why there are no other thunderclaps after the first one--is the storm over? If so, why does Claire still need reassurance? And if not, why aren't her parents' playful words punctuated by ongoing crashes? Still, young readers likely won't notice--and will have a blast alongside the young protagonist. Claire and her parents are tan-skinned. Imaginative fun--and just the thing to buoy kids through their own fears.(Picture book. 2-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.