Thunder Boy Jr.

By: Sherman Alexie, Yuyi Morales

Narrated by: David Alexie

From New York Times bestselling author Sherman Alexie and Caldecott Honor winning Yuyi Morales comes a striking and beautifully illustrated picture book celebrating the special relationship between father and son.

Thunder Boy Jr. wants a normal name...one that's all his own. Dad is known as big Thunder, but little thunder doesn't want to share a name. He wants a name that celebrates something cool he's done like Touch the Clouds, Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth, or Full of Wonder.

But just when Little Thunder thinks all hope is lost, dad picks the best name...Lightning! Their love will be loud and bright, and together they will light up the sky.

Critic reviews

A New York Times Notable Children's Book of the YearA NYPL Best Book of the YearA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearA Boston Globe-Horn Book Picture Book Honor Book of the YearTime Top 10 Children's Book of the YearA Washington Post Best Children's Book of the YearAn Amazon Best Children's Book of the Year

"Together [Sherman and Morales] deliver a story that feels both modern and timeless, a joyous portrait of one boy's struggle to (literally) make a name for himself in the world."—The New York Times Book Review

* "An enchanting and humorous picture book....This has all of the qualities of a classic story like Goodnight Moon and is destined to be a modern classic, with youngsters wanting repeated readings."—School Library Journal, starred review

* "Even if little one don't pick up on the cultural significance, they'll be entranced by the brilliant illustrations and Thunder Boy's rollicking determination to branch out on his own."—Booklist, starred review

* "Echoes of Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian resonate in this vibrant first-person tale....Thunder Boy's energy is irresistible, as is this expansive portrait of a Native American family."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "Despite the dad-pleasing message, the book is too funny and real to veer into parental self-congratulation, and Morales's illustrations give great life and specificity to Thunder Boy's Lightning's family."—Horn Book, starred review

* "An expertly crafted, soulful, and humorous work that tenderly explores identity, culture, and the bond between father and son."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Alexie demonstrates his familiar gift for storytelling, using seemingly uncomplicated language to tell a layered and emotional story that retains tension despite being full of love. Even with this boy's complaint, this is a joyous portrait of a family."—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review

No pictures

I bought this picture book thinking that it would show all the pictures like many audio children's books do. Sadly, it didn't. The story was cute.

A real winner for young readers

I gave this book to a six year old. it was a huge hit.

my son k. black elk loved it!

please write more childrens books;
we couldn't get enough!
my son really related to thunder boy.

Download the Pictures too!

This book comes w/ excellent illustrations & you’ll enjoy it more w/ them (pdf in your library under title). It’s very short, I expect in print form it is a board book of the sort intended for very young children. The price is tiny too. Might work best on tablet where you could see/hear together. Too bad words aren’t on pdf so kids could “read” along.

Good book to start a conversation with a kid

I got this for a young nephew thinking it might be a fun little read, and it really helped us to talk about a lot of other "feelings" that were going on in his 7-year-old mind. It opened a dialogue on family and names and parents and what he wanted to do later in his life. Had no idea it would have that effect, but leave it to Sherman Alexie to always get us thinking and talking.