WHEN THE WIND BEARS GO DANCING
by Phoebe Stone & illustrated by Phoebe Stone
A rhyme to soften the roar of thunderclouds and the flash of lightning by transforming them. Stone's verse and lush pastel illustrations convert a scary thunderstorm into a dance party of wind bears, lions, tigers, and other creatures. When the bears shake their coats, raindrops fall, and the laughter of tigers makes zigzags of lightning race through the sky. It's a grand hullabaloo, and the little girl who narrates joins in the dancing with glee. When it's all over, the child and wind bears pile into an orange convertible: The bears then curl up in treetops and float away, while the girl goes back to her bedroom, where she observes the storm clouds departing. Stone's woolly cloud creatures will bring comfort to little ones distressed by thunder claps; a striking nighttime palette of purple, deep blue, and orange perfectly counters any sentimentalism in the text. (Picture book. 4-8)