Storm in the Night: A Coretta Scott King Honor Picture Book About Storytelling and Overcoming Fears for Kids

Thomas and Grandfather

by Mary Stolz, Pat Cummings (Illustrator)

Storm in the night—lights flicker out, rain streams down the windows... This could be a moment to be scared, but Thomas and his grandfather huddle with Ringo the cat on their porch and share stories in the darkness. This lovely picture book is also a strong choice to share about overcoming fears. Too early to go to bed, and with only flashes of lightning to see by, Thomas and his grandfather happily find themselves rediscovering the half-forgotten scents and sounds of their world. They have a wonderful time learning important new things about each other in a spirited conversation.
Mary Stolz and Pat Cummings have each brought their unique talents to this lyrical tale about a magical, stormy night and a special relationship between grandfather and grandson. A Coretta Scott King Honor Book. Storm in the night.
Thunder like mountains blowing up.
Lightning licking the navy-blue sky.
Rain streaming down the windows,
babbling in the downspouts.
And Grandfather? . . .
And Thomas? . . .
And Ringo, the cat?
They were in the dark.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, African American, Realistic Fiction, Read For School, 1st Grade

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Mary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm all but speechless. This is such a beautiful story, both in art and in text. Most of the story is told through dialogue, in such a way that the reader is participating fully in understanding these people and their ideas, and then the themes. The description almost does it justice, with the quote from the beginning, and the words Discoveries, and Lyrical....

Bonus: the grandfather and young boy are apparently all the family each has, and they happen to be Black, so this gets 'diversity' credit for educators in the US.

Recommended especially for families, especially in anticipation of thunderstorm season.

[Johnnie Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some ups and downs in my opinion. The book is about Thomas and his grandfather having a story time due to a storm that cuts out the electricity. Thomas is a little boy who wants to hear about his grandfather life when he was about the same age as Thomas. Grandfather being the smart man that he is told Thomas a story about a time when he was scared. He does so to get Thomas to express his true feelings about the storm. I like this book because it's very realistic and the lesson behind it tells us that there is no problem with expressing how we really feel and that the best thing to always do is tell the truth. The illustrations in this book were dark well painted and beautiful. I recommend this book to kids in grade levels 3rd - 5th.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book's artwork isn't my favorite, but the story is well-written and it highlights inter-generational relationships as well as ways to cope with fear.

[Briana Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations in this photo are deep dark colors that create a soft tone. This story takes place at night where Thomas and his grandfather hang around the house on a rainy night. Each picture is tinted with blue to create a cool setting, and to represent nighttime. This book is interesting because the illustrations don’t show the grandfathers face. Every image shows the significant difference in the proportion between the grandfather and Thomas.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

The language is lovely - filled with similes, metaphors and alliteration. Thoughtful insights into human nature presented lovingly.

[Lauren Duffy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I make a point to read my children the books from Five in a Row. Each one of them is a solid piece of Children’s literature. Most are classics I have heard of and some like this book are new to me. This book engaged my kindergartener. She laughed. She asked me to repeat parts. It led to a good discussion. We read it during the beginning of an evening thunderstorm which made it even more perfect. Thomas, his grandfather and Ringo the cat are lovable and relatable characters. There are also many literary devices that can be discussed while reading this book. I enjoyed this one and know my child will request it again.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Storm in the Night" by Mary Stolz is a realistic story about a young child who learns to face a fear with the help of her grandfather. The story overall is something that young children can generally relate to. Throughout the story, the grandfather tells the child a number of stories about his own childhood. The illustrations are large, although dark, and depict the story very well. However, there is a lot of text on each page and many pages in the book overall which may make it difficult to get through in a read aloud with young children.

[Ronald Limberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this beautiful story with the arresting, gorgeously rendered artwork. A heartwarming and funny story about a sagacious grandfather, his curious grandson and his docile cat share an unforgettable experience amid a frightening rainstorm and the power of storytelling and love, engulfed silently by the disruption of uncertainty. Fantastic!

[Fabiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story within a story. Seeing that his grandson is scared of the dark and the storm, the grandfather begins to tell Thomas stories of his youth. As they await for the electricity to come back, they talk about overcoming fears, finding their furry best friend, and using all of our senses.

This was a cute short read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a precious story about the way one's family can make you forget your fears.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture Book

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story that touches on deep subjects - clearly the work of a veteran author. Not crazy about the illustrations.

[LeeAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous writing style, comforting story.

[Jacob Nieves]

nc

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was so interesting and fun!

[Y.Poston]

a grandfather and grandson conversation
in the dark caused by a storm about being
scared

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

No electricity! No TV! Darkness! Thomas , his grandfather and Ringo the cat must entertain themselves while a storm rages outside. Grandfather tells a story from his boyhood of a frightening episode involving his dog.

[Hope Kirk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the story of this book, grandfather and grandson bonding over a story during a storm. As a future teacher, I would use this book to read to my students to represent a Coretta Scott King award winning book and the beautiful illustrations.

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grandfather and young Thomas are alone in their darkened house, and the power outage prevents them from engaging in any of their ordinary diversions. Without the use of their vision, their other senses are sharpened, and the sounds and smells of their home and community surround them. As Thomas gazes out the window at a scene illuminated by moon and lightning, Grandfather remarks, "No help for it - I shall have to tell you a tale of when I was a boy." He then recounts a time when he, at Thomas's age, hid under a bed during a storm, only belatedly remembering that his puppy, also terrified of storms, was still outside. Thomas, who has claimed to not be afraid of the storm and dark, finally admits that if he had been alone he would have been. Eventually the lights do come on, and the story closes with an image of a young hand turning off the light in preparation for sleep.

This book, like Wiesner's Hurricane, portrays a child facing a potentially frightening storm, and his fear is defused by the presence of a lovingly protective adult. In this book, however, the primary theme is that of dealing with fear. This conversation takes place in the context of a close, warm relationship, as Grandfather very gently uncovers Thomas's feelings by identifying with him and providing an example of how he faced and overcame his own fear. By using a story about himself, he defuses the boy's embarrassment at feeling afraid, and his calm demeanor creates a safe place for the boy to admit his vulnerability.

This serious conversation doesn't weigh the story down, though, primarily due to Stolz' extraordinary use of language. She describes the physical and tactile experience of the storm so vividly that the listener feels they are there themselves. Her characters' personalities and relationship are skillfully unveiled, and the conversation is well leavened with gentle, teasing humor. Cummings' striking blue-lit illustrations bring just the right mood to this thoughtful and joyful story. It's a great choice for elementary students but may be a little complex for preschoolers.

[Benjamin Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy and his grandfather are caught in a thunder storm where the power has gone out, and the grandfather tells the boy a story about his being caught in a similar storm when he was a kid. It's a simple story accompanied by wonderful illustrations that show the low light atmosphere extremely well, both of the current time and in a flashback to the story.
I'm curious why this is the book that came out of these characters. Yes, there seems to be a nice little message for children that it's okay to be scared sometimes, but the characters interact so well together that they could do so much more. Also, there's an intimation that it's just the two of them. The grandfather is apparently a widower. But what happened to the boy's parents? What about that story?

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both the pictures and the content of this book show delicate handling of every day issues. The promised story by grandpa at the beginning of the book does not start until much closer to the end. Here the journey counts, not the destination. During the journey we learn more about relationships of the people and the animal, the weather, a thunderstorm, and the choice of words for each of the two humans.

[Kasmarine · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a dark thunderstorm night and rain was beating against the house. What could Thomas and his grandfather do on a night like this? Thomas asked many questions about grandfather's boyhood. Though they were different generations, their human-ness was the blue print that connected them. Thomas realized he and grandfather was a boy liked him. They talked through the storm.

[Cindi P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A storm, a power-outage, and an evening shared between a grandfather and his grandson. Family, fears, and a feline all contribute to the events of the evening. Well-told, warmly illustrated an a beautiful picture book. This story could be used in a classroom to teach about family, weather, and emotions.

[Evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt a bit tedious to get through. There were some good moments, like the grandson pointing out how he could hear and smell better in the dark, but I'm not sure if I could keep the attention of a classroom with it. Still, it's good to have if you're talking about rain, and features African American characters which we always need more of in our children's lit.

[Tina]

This is a good story of honesty and overcoming fear - with fun dialogue between a grandfather and grandson. The illustrations with the dark backdrop of the lights being out (power outage) are great - especially the beautiful, shiny white cat!

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confronting our fears - in this case, of storm and darkness - is the theme of this beautifully illustrated story of a grandfather, his grandson, and their cat during a power outage. Read it for the artful telling; read it for the fabulous ilustrations.

[Japonika Finch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Confronting our fears can be tough, but in the case of this book the fear is of storms and darkness. This book can be used as an introduction to a science lesson on weather. It could also be used to help students sequence the events of a story.

[Cece · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the illustrations. This is a good book to read to children to discuss what happens during storms.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching, heart-warming story of a grandfather and his grandson on a dark and stormy night.