When Lightning Comes in a Jar

by Patricia Polacco

Illustrator-author Patricia Polacco returns to Norman Rockwell-era Michigan for another autobiographical meditation, this time on the importance of passing "the lightning of our stories and our heritage into the jars of our children's minds."

A fondly remembered family reunion provides the sweeter-than-sweet backdrop for this picture book, as Polacco recalls how she and her cousins eagerly anticipated her Gramma helping them "catch lightning in a jar." The "lightning," of course, eventually comes thanks to some incarcerated insects, but is warmly preceded by all sorts of metaphorical strikes and flashes: Auntie Bertha's trademark meatloaf cooked with a hard-boiled egg in the middle ("like a giant eye"), watermelon-seed-spitting and croquet games (interrupted by "friendly quarrels about bent hoops, crooked wickets and wanting to take reshots"), and, most importantly, oh-so-many stories about an umbrella-loving rattlesnake, a seven-mile walk to a one-room schoolhouse, and a grandfather who "saved souls as a circuit preacher when he wasn't farming."

Polacco's nostalgic pencil and watercolor illustrations chronicle the day's frolics, all the way up to its buggy climax. She then leaves the Greatest Generation behind for an instructive final act, about a new reunion and "a new crop of children": "I'll send them home with full bellies, tired bones and flickering jars in their laps. Their hearts will be overflowing. Full of lightning, put there by folks who loved them even before they were born." (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

Genres: Picture Books, Family, Childrens, Summer, Realistic Fiction, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Unknown Binding

First published June 3, 2002

About the author

Patricia Polacco is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator with around seventy beloved and award-winning books to her credit, including The Keeping Quilt, Pink and Say, The Blessing Cup, Chicken Sunday, and Thank You, Mr. Falker. She resides in Michigan.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, when I was a young girl, down at my cousins’ house (about 40 minutes drive away) I remember on at least one occasion catching lightning in a jar in their backyard. So, I knew what to expect from this book.

I really loved all the illustrations of the dog in this book; I haven’t seen Polacco illustrate that many dogs. I enjoyed all the illustrations, including the real photos placed with them.

This is a lovely story about a close, multigenerational family at an annual family reunion. The close family relationships are much of the strength of this book, and of so many of this author’s books, as are the as always wonderful illustrations.

[Courtney Dyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Known for using her own family members as characters for her books, Polacco brings us another heartwarming recollection from her childhood filled with nostalgia that is sure to leave her readers longing for family togetherness.

Polacco recounts the traditional events of her annual family reunion as she remembers it as a child- tables filled with Jell-O and meatloaf, the baseball game, croquet, bag races, watermelon seed spitting contests, rides on Grampa’s draft horse, getting measured, looking at old family portrait albums, the annual family photo, and storytelling. But this year, Gramma taught them something new- how to catch lightning in a jar. After reminiscing, the story fast forwards forty-one years when Polacco is now an adult and hosting the family reunion at her house.

The illustrations are typical Polacco fashion: pencil drawings and freely brushed watercolors in large format. Her artwork is absolutely stunning and adds to the overall mood of the story.



Patricia Polacco is one of my favorite authors! This book is very long and wordy, as are most of her stories, therefore, I would recommend this book for upper elementary children ages 9-11. As a teacher, I would use this book to teach making connections with a text. After reading it, I made a text-to-self connection based on my own family’s August reunions and also made text-to-text connections with Cynthia Rylant’s The Relatives Came and Julie Brinckloe’s Fireflies! You could also use this book in an author study on Patricia Polacco or a Social Studies thematic unit on families.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco once again draws from the (seemingly inexhaustible) wealth of her childhood and family circle, in writing When Lightning Comes in a Jar, a lovely picture-book pean to family reunions and summer-time fun. Recalling the joy that the annual gathering of her extended paternal family would bring - the delicious food, entertaining stories from the great-aunts, and pleasure of seeing cousins again - Polacco focuses on one particular year, when her beloved grandmother promised to show her how to catch lightning in a jar. The "lightning," as it turned out, wasn't just fire-flies (or lightning bugs), but the power of story itself, something Polacco would use herself, as a grown-up woman holding her own family reunion...

Although I don't think it quite measures up to some of the author's other titles - classics like The Keeping Quilt , or The Trees of the Dancing Goats - this was still an engaging story. A true "family story," as so many of Polacco's books are, that will entertain young readers, and (possibly) spark some reflection on the value of the stories told to them by their elders.

[Amy Stalder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Initially, when I picked out this book from the library, I did a quick flick through the book and the amount of words on some of the pages initially put me off (my reason for 4 stars, not 5). HOWEVER, I persevered and committed to reading it and although it was lengthy, it was SO worth the read.

The storyline about catching lightening in a jar being passed down the generations was just wonderful. There was a real sense of unity, family, belonging and love radiating from this book. I think I could read this book again and again and love it more and more each time! It was really clear from the beginning that the story was about something that had happened in the past when she said "how I remember that day." However, I really liked that although they were referring to a family reunion that had happened in the past, they still continued to do them today and the young girl, was wearing the same dress in the present that she was when she was a child catching lightening with her Gramma all those years ago. It was this subtlety that really warmed my heart and allowed me to make the link between the generations.

As well as just being a truly beautiful story, the author uses so many literary devices to engage the reader and create beautiful imagery to support the amazing watercolour illustrations throughout the book.

[Sarah Nottingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lightning Comes in a Jar by Patricia Polacco, tells the story of the relationship between a little girl and her grandmother, and their growing bond during a family reunion. The little girl, Tricia, begins her journey when her extended family comes to visit her house for the annual family reunion. To further build up the little girl's excitement about the family reunion, the grandmother proclaims “And we might catch lightning in a jar”. This proclamation engulfs the little girls imagination, which leaves her with a lot of questions; she has no idea how her grandmother is going to be able to put lightning in a jar. She then begins her quest to discover what is lightning in a jar. The little girl takes place in the customary Jell-O and meatloaf feast, baseball game, bag races and the children’s favorite storytelling, all while receiving hints from her grandmother about what lightning in a jar is. After a great amount of anticipation, her grandmother reveals her magic and calls upon the fireflies, lightning in a jar. The story is resolved by switching to the present tense, with Tricia sharing the excitement and magic of lightning in a jar with her grandchildren. Her entire family is at another family reunion, and she tells everyone all about her grandmother and the magical experience of lightning in a jar.

When Lightning Comes in a Jar is perfect for third-grade students to expand their vocabulary and learn new words. The book offers great geographical vocabulary and phrases that help expand the student’s figurative language, which enriches the story and will help build the students' concepts of diversity. For example, when the cousins are playing baseball, the author chooses to write “ The kid can jump higher than a cow’s back” to describe cousin Billy playing baseball in the outfield. This sentence uses a great geographically diverse metaphor for third graders because depending on your geographical location, not every child may have an idea of what a cow is, or how tall a cow is. These metaphors help further develop the students' use of figurative language. Five pages later, another geographically diverse metaphor, “Uncle Earnest told about milking cows faster than lightning” is used to describe growing up on a farm and milking the cows. Along with these examples, the author incorporates multiple geographical diverse phrases such as “the likes” and “these parts” that teach students about different accents and societies based on geographical location in a classroom setting that they can connect to. Near the end of the book, the grandma reveals her magic of calling upon the fireflies. The author uses a poem full of imagery and rich, descriptive phrases that rhyme in order to help the audience picture this magical scene.

This would be a great book to incorporate into a lesson plan about family diversity or when talking about rich family traditions. This book would be perfect for third grade read aloud because of the complexity of the book, rich language, illustrations, diversity in characters and the importance of the overarching theme, family. Throughout the book, the teacher could ask questions and check to make sure the students understand new ideas and vocabulary. Then follow up at the end of, with a rich discussion.

I love this story because as a child family reunions were very important to my family and special. I am also from a small rural hometown, so catching fireflies is second nature, and I enjoyed hiring a family tradition about it. Also growing up Patricia Polacco was one of my favorite authors and illustrators.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trisha is thrilled that it's time for a family reunion which will give her a chance to see her cousins. Any readers who've been to their own family reunions will recognize some common elements--abundant food with every aunt bringing her favorite version of certain dishes, lots of games, paging through the family photo albums, and the elders trying to top each other with wild stories from their younger days. Trisha's grandmother also has a special treat for the youngsters, closing out the evening with a hunt for lightning bug--that's what we call them in the South although she calls them fireflies--and the perfect ending to a wonderful day spent with family. Although those of us who grew up in the country will suspect from the book's title what the lightning that comes in a jar will turn out to be, I enjoyed how the author sprinkles in all those special moments during the reunion--they may not seem special until regarded after the fact, of course, when many of those who were present are no longer around--lending a poignancy to this story. While the food and the lightning bugs and the stories may be what the youngsters remember, they may also realize that certain things bond us together, family being one of those things. There's something magical about the way Polacco tells this story and how her own grandmother got the children involved in chasing after those lightning bugs, and the book reminds readers that some things are worth passing down. Then, too, near the end of the book there is a gentle reminder of the dreams that never are achieved because of events beyond our country. Readers are encouraged to enjoy the simple pleasures of today because tomorrow is often uncertain. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are filled with rich detail, even those jiggling Jell-O fruit salads, and games of baseball and croquet. As I closed this book, I could not help but think of my own growing up years when many weekends were spent visiting my father's aunts in Maryville. Sometimes it felt as though all we were doing was getting in and out of the car in order to pass a little time with each of them. But it was more than that, so much more than that. Now that all of those folks are gone, I finally understand the importance of those visits and those connections.

[Sarah Hannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Personal response- This is a wonderfully told and illustrated book by Patricia Polacco. I liked how the story was about a family who was getting together for a family reunion. It reminded me of when I have family reunions and I look forward to seeing everyone in my extended family and playing games and sharing stories. The illustrations also help push the story along. Examples of this include when the family wants to play croquet and their is the family illustrated playing croquet and when the family gets together to hear stories, the children are all gathered around listening and engaging in the stories being passed down to them.

Purposes - Second grade read-aloud for enrichment.
-This story is one that a child can relate to because of the importance of relationships amongst family both immediate and extended. I think there is a good potential for discussion about the importance of family and the importance of family traditions such as catching lightning bugs in jars at night.
-Trisha is very excited about this interesting concept of "lightning in a jar" and this grabs the readers attention. An instructor may ask the class, "What do you think lightning in a jar means?"
-The narrative structure allows the reader to see how a day may progress at a family reunion and emphasize the enjoyment that comes with family traditions.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story that celebrates family traditions and coming together to share stories, fun and good food. Once again, Patricia Polacco shares a bit of her family history with a fictionalized story that was inspired by her own experiences. The narrative and illustrations are typical for her style and while I didn't get as choked up by this story as I have with some of her other tales, it's certainly a heart-warming book to read aloud with children.

Our daughter guessed from the very beginning what the 'lightning in a jar' was and found it hard to believe that the main character, Trisha, didn't know it, too. Still, it was an entertaining book to read aloud and certainly encourages family get-togethers and establishing traditions. We really enjoyed reading this book together.

interesting quote:

"Shadows lengthen, the day near done,
birds fly low at setting sun.
Stars will rise from earth below,
in these hands their light will glow.
Come up, lightning, come up, stars,
we'll snatch you up in these here jars!" (p. 27)

[Kristina Befort · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a young girl and her family reunion. She loves when her family comes to visit, and she loves spending time with her cousins. Her aunts and her grandma also tell stories about their childhoods, and the little girl loves to hear these stories. The grandma also introduces the little girl to lightning in a jar, and her and all of her cousins spend time capturing fireflies, or the lightning in a jar. At the end of the book, the little girl becomes a grandmother, and tells her own grandchildren about lightning in a jar.

This book would be great to read out loud to children. It is filled with a lot of different characters, so the read aloud would be a lot of fun, as you could use different voices and accents for the characters. The pictures are also very vivid, and the kids would love to look at them. This book has a very strong message about family, and would be great to teach young children about the importance of family bonds and traditions. This is a very fun book with a great story, and it is one that I would definitely use in my own classroom.

[lprater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picture Story Book: When Lightning Comes in a Jar is a heartwarming story about family and the fun people of all generations have during a family reunion. Polacco's book, based on personal experiences, captured my interest immediately as I pulled the book from the library shelf and simply turned the pages. Details in the story such as the anticipation of seeing cousins, the mounds of food, baseball and croquet brought back many personal memories for me as I remembered spending annual weekends at a family reunion. I loved the poem included about catching fireflies, a summer tradition that my sister and I also enjoyed. I am not certain my children would have enjoyed the story as much as I did, since they have not had the opportunity to experience family reunions as described in the story. The story was somewhat long with alot of text on each page, so I would recommend this book for children ages 8-11.

[Nicole Marzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Lightning Comes in a Jar is about a young girl named Trisha and her family reunion. While Trisha does fun activities with her family (story-telling, playing croquet, eating jell-o), she can't stop wondering how her Gramma plans on catching lightning in a jar.

I was first interested in the cover of the book-- Trisha is seen standing on the porch looking intrigued. After reading the book and looking at the pictures, I enjoyed how accurate the illustrator portrayed a family reunion. The pictures are very detailed; the children are seen laughing as they play games and there are actual Polaroids featured in the scrapbooks that the aunts are viewing with the kids. This book was a great read, and the pictures made the storyline even more enjoyable.

[Olivia Lagore]

Patricia Polacco tells the story of he old family picnics that she and all her relatives used to have each year - and still do to this day. She describes how the whole family, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, great aunts and great uncles, everyone would gather on her grandmothers farm and eat, paly games, tell stories, and, when the last of the light had left, catch lighting (fireflies) and put them all in a jar.
The book gives off a soothing, warm feeling, reminding me of my own visits to my family down in Nebraska and our picnics - different that Patricia Pollaco's memories, but similar in some ways. In the book, Polacco uses colors to identify each family member as they grow older and makes the fireflies into a symbol of the love and tradition that comes with family.

[Erinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again using her own family as characters, Patricia Polocco shares a tale about a young girl waiting for her relatives to arrive for the family reunion. Polocco describes the relatives, the food, and the various rituals that are part of the annual family gathering. In addition, she describes how the family enjoys catching fireflies in a jar. Polocco has included actual photographs of her own family as part of the book.

It is rewarding to know that such a gifted author comes from Union City, Michigan.

This book parallels nicely with The Relatives Came
Fireflies
We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past

[Sarah Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: When Lightning Comes in a Jar
Author: Patricia Polacco
Illustrator: Patricia Polacco
Publisher: Philomel Books
Date: 2002
Genre: fiction

This book is a story about a young girl names Tricia who loves to be outdoors and spend time with her family. At a family reunion, her grandmother teachers her and her relatives how to "catch lightning in a jar" and this becomes a favorite activity. Children will be able to relate to this story as they think about memories they have with the people who they are closest to and all of the traditions that are upheld within their families. The illustrations in this book are captivating and unique.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tricia could not be more excited for her family reunion! This year it is being held at her house instead of Grandma's. Tricia cant decide what she is most excited for, all the jellos shaking on he table, the many different aunt's meatloaf recipes, seeing all of her family or Grandma's stories. Then Grandma reveals that she will teach them all how to catch lightning in a jar! Tricia has no idea what this means and cant hardly wait to find out!
Even though children of all ages would love to hear this story and find out how to catch lightning in a jar, I would recommend this story for older children. Due to the length of the story and detail involved in the pictures.

[Janelle Fenn]

I love this book!! Patricia Polacco is my favorite childrens author! And probably just my favorite author over all! Her stories are mostly all real events that have happened in her life and they always have a good moral to them! This book in particular has hidden allusions in it's illustrations! That's why i love it so much! (she also does all her own illustrations!) She puts little bits and pieces of Norman Rockwell's (My favorite artist EVER!) paintings throughout the story! I just loved the combination!

[Yasmin Gomez Geng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patricia Polacco writes a great deal about family-related manners. In this book, she writes about her family reunion and how she feels about all the games and family members she meets. She also writes about the great stories that she hears from all of her family members.
In particular, the main character loves how her grandma teaches her how to catch fireflies in a jar.

Grade: 1st Grade until 4th Grade
Topic: Nature, Bugs, Family

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My admiration for Patricia Polacco grows with each book of hers we read. This one, detailing a full day of a family reunion is lovely. She really captures the sense of family ties and traditions, and the feeling of being part of something that was started long before a person exists and will continue to go on for generations to come. Hopefully, other readers will also come away from this book with a greater appreciation for their own heritage.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a personal connection with me. I grew up loving lightning bugs every summer. I bought this book when I was in college in Utah and it made me cry! I missed everything about home,including the lightning bugs. I still read this book every July to remind me of the magic these little bugs contain.

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a great connection to this book. As a child, my cousins and I caught fireflies every summer in Missouri and put them in baby food jars. We put holes in the lid so they could breathe and a leaf inside so they would have food. We used them as night lights. The next morning, we would let them go. That was so much fun!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Polacco book that got me teary-eyed.

I loved this story because of its warmth and for the strong family bonds that are portrayed in it. But it was long-ish for my kids, who don't totally like sitting and listening to me read. If they had enjoyed it more, I would have given it 4 stars. But they didn't. Oh well.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lightning Comes in a Jar By: Patricia Polacco, ISBN 0399231641, 2002.
Patricia Polacco tells a heartwarming generational story about the importance of yearly family reunions and how to catch “lighting in a jar”.

** It enforces the idea of passing stories on from one generation to another.

[Angela Dahle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about family reunions and the fun things that happen at them. It is heartwarming and full of memories, past and present. Young children will keep guessing how the book ends as they question how lighting is caught in a jar. I love Patricia Polacco. Her stories are always fun, very down to Earth, quite and cozy, and always candid.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another down-home, heartwarming, nostaglic offering from Patricia Polacco...When Lighning Comes in a Jar conjures up memories about a simple, carefree time. A time when magical fireflies lit the night air and it was beyond belief that those same lightning bugs could be harnessed in a jar.

Used for "You Light Up My Night, Firefly" Storytime: June, 2011.

[Victoria Lowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I come from a big family and listening to how intrigued the students are by their grandparents, aunts and uncles reminds me so much of how i was as a child. Even though I have lost many of my elderly family members their memories still are meaningful and relevant in my life today just like the children in the story.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

I set the goal of reading all of Polacco's books by the end of 2014. This one is a simple tale of the wonderment of a family reunion. The joyous images of laughter, sharing stories, playing games and delighting in the sheer wonderment of being together, made me smile!

What a very talented author and illustrator who can make a simple thing like catching fireflies a special occasion.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's family reunion time! Trisha and her cousins can hardly wait to see one another again. They can't decide what they like best: the great feast (with zillions of meatloafs and gazillions of Jell-O salads), the softball game, the storytelling . . . the yearly rituals go on and on. But this year, Gramma has a new surprise in store: She promises to teach the grandchildren

[Kaylee Bostick]

This story is a story about tradition. A little girl goes to a family reunion and talks about all of the traditions that take place. She grows up to find that she is responsible for keeping the traditions alive. I might use this in my classroom as a mentor text because some students might relate to this.

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The family is getting ready for a family reunion! Gramma has promised Trisha something new this year! She is going to teach them how to catch lightning in a jar! This is a really cute book with some really cool and detailed illustrations! You can tell throughout the book how close this family is! They get so excited to see each other at this family reunion!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title of this book; I wanted to know how to catch lightening in a jar! The story is about one girl/woman's recollection of her family reunions, spanning several years. It made me think of my own family and how I wish we would have had more family reunions.