Posted by Have you ever felt so happy, it felt like your heart was singing its own melody? In the book Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen, a young girl named Thunder Rose finds her own song by reaching into her own heart finding the happiness inside her.
From the day Thunder Rose was born, she was said to have the power of lightning and thunder coursing through her veins. As she grew up, her parents noticed how clever and strong their daughter was. She was able to pick up a whole cow and drink all of its milk, and was able to create a new kind of wire, barbed wire. But when a storm approaches, will Thunder Rose be powerful enough to face it?
I really loved how this book featured a Black girl as the heroine. The author did this purposely, knowing many Black folktales were created out of sorrow, but she wanted to write a story about love and joy. When she thought about that “fortunate feeling” that dwells within each of us, the author immediately thought of someone like Thunder Rose.
Kadir Nelson’s illustrations are so stunning, even though I’ve read so many books with illustrations by him, they always are so beautiful, I have to study each page to capture it all. This book is no exception!
Some of the books I’ve reviewed with illustrations by this amazing artist are The Undefeated, Just The Two Of Us, and Hewitt Anderson’s Great Big Life.
I recommend this book to teachers looking for a good book for classrooms. This is a great book for parents to read-aloud to kids, too. This book is appropriate for kids four to eight.
This was such an enjoyable read! Four out of four roses!
Elena Reads and Reviews 