Thunder Boy Jr.

Just like pie, this book is sweet and warm. Share at storytime and ask kids what they would name themselves.

Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his father and doesn't like it one bit. He wants his own name-- perhaps named after something he is good at.

The story of a boy who is named after his father but wants to have a name that recognizes his own accomplishments. A celebration of personal and Native American identity that is relatable to everyone. Great stylized art by Yuyi Morales.

Thunder boy loves his father Thunder Boy, Sr. He simply would like to have his own identity and different name. Weaving information of the American Native culture, the story and illustrations are lovely. Sherman Alexie is one of my favorite YA authors, and it is nice to see him expanding genres.

This picture book is a great story about individuality, and father-son relationships. It gives the reader a glimpse into the importance of name in the Native American culture. It is also humorous as Thunder Boy ponders a new name, and the illustrations depict these possibilities in an insightful

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and funny way. The illustrations are beautiful, and just right for this story. They are as much a part of the story as the words themselves.

This would be a great addition to a study of Native American traditions. This would also be a fine book when looking and culture and identity. The book is also an example of how illustrations and story line can be perfectly in harmony.

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This is a great picture book about self-identity for young readers. Thunder Boy Jr. is about a little boy named after his father, Thunder Sr., and how he would like a name of his very own that describes him. Throughout the book he gives the reader different things that he has accomplished that he

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could be named after. Eventually his father gives him a new name that describes the dynamic duo that is Lightening Boy and Thunder Dad. The star of this book is the illustrations. The artist Yuyi Morales used different materials to give the imagery different textures and vibrant colors which gives richness to the pages. There is a page where Thunder boy wants to be named Star Boy. In the center of the pages is a large yellow circle drawing the reader’s eye. It contrasts well with the browns and reds in the background of the book. Another interesting aspect of this book is that it touches on Native American culture by the naming. The author is Native American and he too was named after his father. This book, although is for younger audiences, can be considered multicultural due to the nature of the main character. This allows the children to experience different names that they may not be accustomed to. This is a great book to get young readers to think of themselves as an individual and can teach them they are all special and different.

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Thunder is a little boy who has the same name as his dad. He was named after him and hates his name he wants to be able to pick his own way and thinks about many cool names according to things he likes. One day his mom comes up with a cool name he might like Lightning.
Ages 3-5
Pierce College Library

This story was entertaining, but I do not see it being overly useful in the classroom as a teaching tool. While it has good language that could be used for reading for pleasure, it is not likely to be one that I would read aloud. I think its strongest point is in the illustration and layout. The

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fun layout with some words in thought bubbles and the illustrations make it interesting for young readers.

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This book shows a young child grappling with his identity as a person with a very Native American name. He doesn't like how it sounds and how it separates him from traditional white-American society, but he is proud of his father and comes to like how his heritage is represented in his name. I love

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the artwork because it appears collaged and vibrant, to match the boy's personality. The theme of the story is appreciating your ancestry and loving yourself for all of your differences. I would love to use this story in a diverse classroom setting because hearing kids tease one another about their names really upsets me and makes me want to show them how much they can appreciate their differences.

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Lovely story of a boy who does not like his name. Beautifully written and illustrated.

This story is about a young boy who share's his father's name, but wants his own. While ethnicity isn't explicitly addressed it becomes apparent through the names and illustrations. Dad's name is Thunder Boy Sr. and the boy, the main character, is named Thunder Boy Jr. He wishes he had a plainer

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name, like Sam, or a name that represents him and his accomplishments.

There is an author's note at the beginning that says the illustrations were made from the remains of an antique house in Xalapa, Mexico, where the illustrator has her studio. The illustrations are beautiful and add humor to the story beyond what the words are saying.

This book could be used in a social studies curriculm focusing on Native Americans, genealogy, and the importance of names.

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I enjoyed the illustrations, which were unusual, and deeply conveyed Thunder Boy’s emotions. I think this is a good book for cultural diversity conversations. Many names considered “weird” like “thunder boy” are names that aren't your typical anglo Michael, Brittany, etc. I also think any

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child can identify with Thunder Boy’s search for identity, and the existential experience of establishing yourself outside of your family’s shadow.

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Thunder Boy Smith hates his name. According to him, it's not a "normal" name. And what's more, it's also his father's name. And while he loves his father, he doesn't want to share a name with him. Thunder Boy dreams up getting a new name that will reflect him better, but he doesn't know how to tell

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his dad this...

I stumbled upon this delightful children's book in my library and loved it. It's a fun way of looking at what can be a serious complaint for some kids -- many of us could probably relate to sometimes wishing we had a different name. This is arguably compounded more so for those who are named after a parent. (After reading this book, I also ended up reading Alexie's recent memoir in which he discusses how he did not like being a named after his father and being referred to as "Junior" for his entire childhood.) When I read this book aloud with my niece, we talked about how several people in our family are a junior or a third, and it was interesting for her to be able to make that personal connection to the book we were reading. This book could be paired nicely with Kevin Henkes's Chrysanthemum for more discussion about names and dealing with a name you don't like.

The illustrations are vibrant and show a lovely relationship between the title character and his father as well as with his younger sister and mother.

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Heart-warming, bold, endearing.

The kid loves his dad but he wants his own name and I won't spoil it but he gets it and it shows the world that him and his dad are a team forever. I loved this book.

A little boy hates his name and goes through different things that he likes to do that could assist in choosing what his name should have been.

I really wanted to like this since I really like Sherman Alexie's work overall, but this was just too slight and silly for my tastes.

The story of Thunder Boy Jr. who doesn't want to be a smaller version of his dad, he wants to be himself.

This sweet little book is completely darling and filled with a much gentler version of Alexie's humor and off-beat characters. Highly recommended for young readers and those young at heart who love beautiful drawings. Yuyi Morales' work is just gorgeous here.

Also, I'm mad this book is not longer.

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That's the beauty and frustration of being an Alexie fan: he always leaves you wanting more.

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Thunder Boy Jr. is named after his father who everyone calls Big Thunder--but that means Jr. gets called Little Thunder and who likes that? In this humorous book Thunder Boy Jr. makes the case for a new name like Touch the Cloud or Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth. A great look at a father son

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relationship, Native American naming culture, and happy endings.

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Not on the same level as Shel Silverstein, Dr. Seuss, nor Maurice Sendak.

Ok, so that campaign -- we need diverse books -- this is what they are talking about. A book that is about being a kid, any kid, with a kid-centered problem. Beautifully presented as both a universal I- want- to- be- different- from- my- parents story and simultaneously as a native american story,

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this one is charming, funny, and very celebratory about being who you are. Also? The art is excellent. I particularly love the companion animals and the little sister story that's going on in the background. They don't steal the show, but, wordlessly, they add family context that's very important, and extra appealing.

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