"Claire laughed so hard her mom
came into her room.
"What's all this giggling about?
Shouldn't you be sleeping by now?"
"I'm glad you're here, honey. Claire
thinks thunder is the scariest thing
around. Can you believe that?"
"Oh, wow. Thunder doesn't bother
me now that I've see some truly scary
things. But I probably shouldn't tell
you about them."
Claire couldn't help herself.
She was too curious!"
As an adult, I am not always comfortable in thunderstorms. Maybe, it's being alone and watching the endless flashes of light, or the booming crashes that precede them. It is the way Claire feels when a frightful storm keeps her from sleep. Luckily, her dad is there to do his best to distract from her fear.
He tells her about his worry in a storm when he was younger. Claire is surprised to learn that. Dad goes on to share the many things that he thinks are far scarier than thunder. He regales her with silly rhymes that don't seem that scary to his daughter. As Dad offers varied scenarios, Claire uses her imagination to picture what he is describing. Each gets sillier and sillier.
"Oh, really? What about
the witch in the woods
who tried to sell her baked goods
to a goblin named Art who
just
loved
to ...
... sneeze!"
The laughter is so loud, Claire's mother comes to check on them. It takes no time for Mom to get involved with some of her own upsetting times. The fun continues with scene after scene; Claire joins in the fun that involves zombies, squids, dragons, and clowns ... right back to the beginning with a scorpion named Finn. Finally, Claire is exhausted by all the action and succumbs to her need for slumber.
The riotous text and imaginative artwork work together like a dream. The energy is awesome and the distractions from the storm's noise is exactly what Claire needs to find comfort in a soft pillow and cozy blanket.
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