Mallory and the Power Boy

Christina Pike is an English and a Learning Resources Centre teacher at
Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland.

This enchanting story explains the concept of electricity, which it
refers to as “power.”

On a stormy night when the electricity goes out, Mallory follows Power
Boy up into the sky. They climb up a lightening staircase to collect the
power that makes people’s freezers and refrigerators cold. They begin
by collecting the cold that comes from the snow clouds, then the water
that comes from the rain clouds, then the heat that comes from the sun,
and finally the light that comes from the stars. When all of these
things are put into a cauldron—along with some wind—the concoction
begins to sing and power is made. After the lesson, Mallory returns just
in time for her mother to call her with the news that the power is back
on.

Pete Marlowe has captured the imagination of a child and explained the
concept of power in a clever, nonthreatening way. Cindy Revell’s bold,
dynamic illustrations portray Power Boy as a boy similar in age to
Mallory, helping to take away the scariness—how could power or a storm
be frightening when explained by a child? Highly recommended.