RUMBLE THUMBLE BOOM!

``Auntie says it's the angels rolling potatoes,'' and Daddy provides a quasi-scientific explanation; but even though Mommy says, ``It won't hurt you,'' the narrator finds thunder scary, as does his huge dog. Bravely, the boy relays what he's been told to the dog, who remains unconvinced; after some friendly but determined negotiation, the whole family—dog, too—ends up under the covers in the old spare bed. Warm and amusingly realistic, this nice pair recalls Rylant's Henry and Mudge. The author's lavender-bordered color-pencil illustrations are rendered on black; the storm's varied remarks (see title), also drawn in soft color, are proclaimed on facing pages, where the text appears in crisp white. It all adds up to an appealing story in an unusually attractive format. (Picture book. 3-7)