cover image Night Thunder and the Queen of the Wild Horses

Night Thunder and the Queen of the Wild Horses

Lynn Reiser. Greenwillow Books, $15 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-688-11791-7

Set ``up and over the clouds'' where ``the night was not very dark, and not wet, not at all,'' this entertaining pourquoi tale explains the why of thunder-at least for this particular storm. After painting a rainbow-winged ``Queen of Wild Horses,'' a very sleepy girl retires to bed only to be awakened by loud noises that also ``wake'' the Queen. Together, they fly beyond the clouds and encounter thrashing dinosaurs, jumping elephants, bumping elks, bouncing bears, slapping beavers and-the root of the problem-one thumping rabbit; all of whom are very sleepy, but are kept up by one another's noises. In a story that begs to be read aloud, Reiser (Bedtime Cat) uses repetition to lull listeners with a rhythm of words and sounds (``yes I will stop thumping. YES. I will stop thumping. Then yes, I will stop thumping right now''). The illustrations are equally as soothing, with cool evening hues and translucent animals that lend a dreamy air to this surrealistic adventure. Ages 4-up. (Sept.)