Weathering The Weather

Weathering The Weather

Sometimes the beginning is as subtle as a change in the air.  It feels a bit charged or heavier or both.  The breeze gets a bit stronger.  Looking skyward, the shape of clouds and their color is quickly transforming.  A disturbance is threatening.
Birds gather near the shore or in trees.  In the distance, rumbling begins as the sky darkens.  Writer Laura Purdie Salas and artist Elly MacKay collaborate to vividly portray this usually sudden shift in the weather in
Zap! Clap! Boom!: The Story Of A Thunderstorm
(
Bloomsbury Children’s Books
, February 28, 2023).
Sunny day sits warm and dry.
No wind,
no rain,
no stormy sky.
Morning’s calm.
Outside is still.
A blue forever day,
until . . .
Without us being aware, warmer air is moving upward toward the cooler clouds.  They start to fill and get larger, gathering overhead.  In the distance loud sounds partner with gray skies and blowing winds.  Spears of light fork downward in the distance.
Rumbles roll through the air, shattering any remaining silence.  Rain begins to drop, slow at first, then faster.  The breeze is now a howling wind.  The sounds are nearly deafening.
Shelter is sought and shelter is found.  Children snuggle inside, safe from the tumult.  The thunder shakes the walls, the lightning flashes on and off, the wind sings like a banshee, and the rain pounds on the windows.
Then, after what seems like minutes (or sometimes longer), the thunderstorm moves to cast its chaos on another place.  Those on the inside slowly venture to the outside, savoring the clear air, the rain-washed spaces and calming breaths of air.  Everything feels new.  Let’s play!
The writing, the poetry, of
Laura Purdie Salas
has entertained and educated us for more than two decades.  In this title her rousing rhythms woven with words move through the pages like a thunderstorm.  They begin and end with a soothing quiet, coming to a crescendo in the center with the title words repeated three different times.  Laura Purdie Salas uses poetic techniques, rhyme, metaphor, and alliteration, like a master.  Here is a passage.
Swollen clouds begin to drain,
spilling
splashing,
chilling
rain.
In looking at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, readers feel the full force of the thunderstorm on the front, right side.  Trees bend in the wind and rain diagonally cuts across the view.  Dark clouds release roaring thunder and jagged lightning. We wonder how the residents of the hilly island are surviving.
To the left of the spine, on the back, we see the left side of the island in a closer view as the storm lessens and moves away.  The breeze is still brisk, but the sky is beginning to lighten.  The land seems to be holding its breath.
On the opening endpapers, we are given a panoramic perspective of the top of the island.  Three children play with a red ball.  The land, trees, shrubs, and homes are kissed with morning sunlight.  Bathed in deeper hues of golden yellow, the same scene shows…