Lightning Bug Thunder

Krystyna J. Higgins is the former book review editor for the Catholic
New Times.

This is the story, told in rhyming couplets, of a small prairie
community suffering from a long drought. The protagonists are three
little girls, Molly Elizabeth, Zoey Ray, and their friend Kathryn
Claire, who meets the townspeople outside the corner drugstore to show
them a new treasure: a striped lightning bug in a jar.

“‘This bug doesn’t work,’ she explain[s], ‘before dark, /
But wait until then, it will show you its spark.’” Sure enough,
after sunset the bug “turn[s] itself on.” But something is missing,
and the girls suddenly realize what is wrong: lightning needs thunder!

As they set about creating their own thunder, by shouting and jumping
around, the bug responds by glowing with increasing brightness, until
“all of a sudden, it started to pour — / Buckets and buckets and
buckets some more!” At last the dry spell is over, and the girls
realize they have a secret weapon that can be used whenever a similar
situation arises.

This is Katie Burke’s first book. Illustrator Sheila McGraw is
perhaps best known for her work on Robert Munsch’s Love You Forever.
Together they have produced a gem in this book.

McGraw’s painterly illustrations are wonderful, particularly in her
use of vibrant yellows and browns to convey the heat and glare of the
parched landscape.

The little girls are delightful creations: joyful, confident,
resourceful. Burke’s verse is musical and flowing, perfect for reading
aloud. Highly recommended.