#608 of 1001 · March 31, 2022

For today, how about a gently humorous etiological narrative? Here’s a look at How Thunder and Lightning Came to Be, a Choctaw tale adapted by Beatrice Orcutt Harrell and illustrated by Susan L. Roth. Long ago, in the early days of the world, The Great Sun Father prepares to send wind and rain down to earth. To warn the Choctaw people that they must take shelter, he enlists the help of two rather silly birds. The speedy but clumsy Melatha bungles his first few attempts to spread the message. Eventually, the large, slow-moving Heloha lays a clutch of eggs. The rumbling sound they make as they roll away across the clouds and the great streak of sparks caused by yet another comical misstep as Melatha chases them serve as the very first instance of thunder and lightning, warning of the oncoming harsh weather. Harrell’s amusing text and Roth’s handcrafted collages match well in this whimsical origin story. #thunder #lightning #sun #wind #rain #bird #birds #eggs #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks