Thunder and the Noise Storms, written by Jeffrey Ansloos and Shezza Ansloos with pictures by Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley. Annick Press, 2021. $21.95 ages 4 and up

"Mosom closed his eyes, then he said, 
"Thunder, Thunder, listen with wonder.
Can you hear our relative the wind? 
The wind is singing a soothing song."

I stopped to listen again. It was hard at first.
I only heard annoying songs. The flag whipping,
a door banging, and the gravel grinding under 
my feet."

The narrator is a young Indigenous boy who finds school noise storms to be very annoying. Kids on the bus, and car horns honking are all that needs to happen before his brain feels befuddled. It continues at school as students arrive, call out to each other, and put away their belongings. Now, he's grumpy! 

Music class makes it worse. Will his hoodie help? Gym follows and readers will be aware of the multitude of noises that happen during an activity period. An angry response and everyone being outside for recess does nothing to help. 

"I felt so alone. 

I hid in the 
play structure,
covering my ears." 

Mosom is called to help Thunder with his emotions. Once it is quiet, Thunder climbs down from his lonely perch to talk with his grandfather. They take a walk together, a favorite activity. While walking, Thunder says he struggles with all the noise; his grandfather explains that the same thing happened to him. When it did, his father gave him a word to help him deal with the storms. The word is mamasskasitawew, and it means to 'listen with wonder'.

Mosom explains that there are many wonders when one listens to the quiet sounds. It doesn't help at first. It is hard to do, and there are many loud sounds to distract Thunder from his task. With practice, Thunder is encouraged to hear what his grandfather is hearing. Together, they find comfort in their natural surroundings. Things change as they walk more slowly, allowing time to really listen. Standing quiet and really paying attention, Thunder is able to breathe out the loud sounds and breathe in the sound of a 'slow and steady drum' ... his heart! It is part of the wonder that is around them. 

Thunder is ready to return to class, and finish out his day.  

The Woodland artwork is filled with bold colors and strong images which honor the many feelings Thunder has throughout the telling. The setting beyond the school allows readers to see the peace found in the natural world. The bold double-page spreads are filled with sounds, quiet and loud. It's ideal for reading aloud to kids who are sound-sensitive, but also for their classmates in order for them to better understand the difficulties and the emotions.