TRADITIONAL LITERATURE - The Story of Lightening and Thunder

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bryan, Ashley.  1993.  THE STORY OF LIGHTNING & THUNDER.  New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks. ISBN 0689318367

PLOT SUMMARY

THE STORY OF LIGHTNING & THUNDER is a retelling of a West African tale.  In the beginning, Ma Sheep Thunder and Son Ram Lightning were living on Earth in the center of a village. Ma Sheep Thunder loved socializing with the locals and once her Son Ram Lightning was born, she enjoyed it even more. That was until her son grew up into a teenager.  Son Ram Lightning has some issues controlling how he acts in public, causing dangerous issues for those in the village. The King banishes them to go live on the outskirts of the village.  Son Ram Lightning continues with wreaking havoc by causing a large field fire and the King has to banish them even further. They are sent to live in the sky where they can still help the villagers with getting Rain to come but far enough away to prevent Son Ram Lightning from causing any more danger.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The illustrations were amazing in this retelling of a West African tale. So many vibrant colors and the way she places the pieces together on each page remind me of stained glass.  The color palette she uses really portrays a lot of what is familiar with the African culture. She uses predominately contrasting colors on each page.  When the characters are in the village she uses mainly warm tones such as reds, oranges, and light browns; while when they move away from the village towards the forest, she makes the shift to cool tones like blues, greens, and purples. Ma Sheep Thunder is pictured as dark, well-aged showing she has more experience in life; while Son Ram Lightning is pictured as light-colored high-lightening a young youthfulness with vibrant colors.

Ashley Bryan words her phrases almost like poetry throughout this book. Some phrases have a rhythmic feel to them such as “I use my head as I heard Ma say. With a biff, bam, butt I cleared the way.”  Children will enjoy this book with her use of fun, silly language such as “zigzagged,” “baa-ba-lam,” and “biff, bam, butt.” A great read-aloud with any age group with the ability to really “act out” those parts with the use of the language she writes with.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

KIRKUS: “A delightful adaptation of a Nigerian folklore about ‘Ma Sheep Thunder’ and her son ‘Son Ram Lightning,’…written to be read aloud with bits of rhyme and unexpected wordplay.”

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: “Joyful in both word and palette,” said PW, “this African story tells why lightning and thunder reside in the sky and not on earth, as they once did.”

CONNECTIONS

Ø  Great resource to use even for older students when they are trying to act like they are old enough to be on their own and do not wish to listen to wise parents.

Ø  Could be used as part of a lesson or discussion on the art side, use of color and contrasting palettes.

Ø  Could be used in a language arts classroom or even a social studies classroom comparing and contrasting about different cultures and aspects.

Ø  Other books by Ashley Bryan:

o   Bryan, Ashley. THE OX OF THE WONDERFUL HORNS AND OTHER AFRICAN FOLKTALES. ISBN 9780689317996

o   Bryan, Ashley. WHO BUILT THE STABLE? ISBN 9781442409347

o   Bryan, Ashley. THE NIGHT HAS EARS. ISBN 9780689824272

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