Book Review for Vardell 5603 -- Thunder Rose

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Nolen, Jerdine. 2002. THUNDER ROSE. Ill. by Kadir Nelson. Orlando: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-216472-3.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Jerdine Nolen creates a tall tale of the largest ptoportions with THUNDER ROSE, who sits up on the stormy night of her birth and proclaims that she will want to do more than grow up to be good and strong, "Thank you very kindly!" From that moment, Thunder Rose proceeds to amaze her parents while providing valuable assistance in their ranching efforts -- herding cows, building fences, and saving the ranch from ruin by a stampeding herd. She also is credited with such inventions as barbed wire. The larger-than-life antics of this young girl will astonish readers.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The story is a tall tale, and as such includes subtle allusions that children may or may not understand. The tale is somehwat predictable, with Thunder Rose always conquering the stampede, the double tornadoes, or whatever she encounters, but the story is still a charming one with the main character's being a young girl.

Kadir Nelson's illustrations, on the other hand, steal the story. For not only is the main character a girl, Nelson chose to portray her as an African American girl. The pictures are oil, watercolor, and pencil works of art. Each illustration captures expression, light and shadow, and exquisite detail, even down to the look of surprise on the cow's face as Thunder Rose lifts up the cow's hindquarters to more easily reach the milk. A predictable tall tale becomes a true multicultural prize due to Nelson.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS.

*School Library Journal -- "The oil, watercolor, and pencil artwork is outstanding. A splendid, colorful, and most welcome addition to the tall-tale genre."

*Booklist -- "A terrific read-aloud."

*Kirkus Starred Review -- "Throughout, [Thunder Rose] shows a reflective bent that give her more dimension than most tall-tale heroes: a doff of the Stetson to her and her creators."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Place with a collection of other tall tales for children including PECOS BILL, by Steven Kellogg (ISBN 0-688-05871-X), FELICIANA FEYDRA LEROUX: A CAJUN TALL TALE, by Tynia Thomassie and Cat Bowman Smith (ISBN 978-0316841252), or PAUL BUNYAN AND HIS BLUE OX, by Patricia Jensen (ISBN 978-0816731626) for a full unit on tall tales.

*Have children make up their own tall tales with themselves as the hero. They can illustrate or "hire" a friend as illustrator.

*Write, or have children write, a Reader's Theater script and take turns performing for one another or another class.

*Use the collection of tall tales to discuss fact/opinion or fiction/non-fiction.