Franklin and the Thunderstorm

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

In this latest book about the timid turtle, Bourgeois and Clark tackle
another common childhood fear—storms. Franklin and his friends are at
Fox’s when a threatening storm breaks. Franklin crawls inside his
shell. He refuses to come out, despite the party atmosphere inside
Fox’s house, as Fox’s mother lights candles and provides treats.
While Franklin’s friends conjecture about what causes the thunder and
lightning—cloud giants swinging on chandeliers, for example—Franklin
is amused and overcomes his fear enough to join in the fun.

Bourgeois has imparted valuable storm smarts—Fox’s mother warns the
group away from the treehouse where they initially took shelter, and
Beaver demystifies the science after the nonsense explanations. One of
the strengths of the Franklin books is the accurate portrayal of
childlike expressions on the animals’ faces, and this book is no
exception. This is evident from the cover illustration showing a
frightened Franklin sheltering under his rainbow umbrella to the final
post-storm scene depicting happy friends outside under a glowing rainbow
with fears and umbrellas tucked away. Recommended for both children who
are afraid of storms and those who aren’t.