Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley

Thunder and the Noise Storms is a wonderful picture book that addresses the universal stress of anxiety through an indigenous perspective. The story is about a child named Thunder who is sensitive to noise. In particular, he gets overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of daily life and the noisy nature involved with attending school. When Thunder is faced with what appears to be an anxiety attack his Mosom (Grandpa in Cree) comes to comfort him. Mosom takes Thunder for a walk, sharing with him show more a word that helps with the noise storms: Mamaskasitawew means to listen with wonder and Mosom teaches Thunder to listen to the quiet things – like the windsong, the birds flying, and the river flowing. Thanks to Mosom’s lesson in mamaskasitawew, Thunder knows that now whenever he feels overwhelmed, “I could still listen to my heart.” This books features wonderful art by Anishinaabe illustrator Pawis-Steckley in Woodland style that highlights Thunder’s feelings and the importance of the Cree authors’ story. We need more books like Thunder and the Noise Storms, ones that teach us to listen to our hearts, to slow down, to breathe show less

What a wonderful book! This book has so many wonderful things about it that it is almost difficult to write about them. The story involves a disagreement between the birds and the animals as to which group is better. They decide to have a ball game to decide the matter, with the first goal scored determining the winner. The ball game is lacrosse, which was create by Indigenous people. Just as the game is to begin, a creature none of them had seen before approached and asked which team they show more should play for. The creature was a bat and didn't fit the opinions of what either the animals or the birds considered themselves to be.

The story is a version of Native American stories which have been passed down through generations. The author found similar tales from Cherokee, Muskogee and Menominee tribes and likely could have found versions in the lore of many other tribes. The illustrations are the work of Joshua Mangeshig Pawls-Steckley, an Ojibwe Woodland artist and member of Wasauksing, First Nation. His art focuses on promoting and reclaiming Ojibwe stories and traditions. The illustrations are wonderfully colorful and reminiscent of traditional Native American art.

The book could be compared to an Aesop fable in that there is a lesson to be learned from the story. I am a fan of Native American stories and find that they always have a good life lesson to be shared. In my opinion, Rebecca Sheir caught the flavor of Native American tales and the combination of her story and Joshua Mangeshig Pawls-Steckley's illustrations is beautiful.

An added bonus is the suggested activities section at the end of the book. There are questions about feeling different, how it is hard and what makes one proud. Activities range from writing and storytelling prompts to the physical - pantomime, relay race and "dance like an animal". I found these activities to be thoughtful and a cunning tie-ins to the story.

A beautiful book that everyone, child and adult, will enjoy.

Thank you to the author, Storey Publishing, LLC and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book. show less

This is a “make a circle around” book. It’s supposed to bring old fashion folk telling to modern story times. This story is about a bat that wants to join one of the two baseball teams. One is filled with birds and one is filled with mammals. Bat does not fit. Eventually the two teams learn that the bat has a purpose. I like the illustrations in this book. They are different from modern norms. This folktale hails from Native American indigenous peoples, and that is felt in the artwork. show more Overall, the book works but it’s not one I would gravity gravitate towards again and again show less