Benjamin’s Thunderstorm

Benjamin’s Thunderstorm is a revitalizing picture book, one capturing a Cree boy’s delight in being outdoors, amid nature, in playful, joyous ways as a thunderstorm appears. Evoking/expressing/signifying the principal character’s cultural identity and related practices, while feeding the reader’s/viewer’s curiosities, this story is filled with charm. The book showcases lovely—inspiring—digital images: blue puddles of water, colourful thunderbirds, an exuberant , confident youngster, dancing bolts of lighting, and loving relationships – a fantastic celebration of Indigenous boyhood!

The book begins with the eponymously parka-clad Benjamin, pulling on his lovely “bright yellow rain boots to go outdoors where “[h]e stomped around the yard, splashing through puddles” of magical blue, surrounded by pine trees dressed in various shades of green, proudly standing alongside a lake. Some of the boy’s joy is expressed when he jumps and sings, “Splish, splash, crash … I can make it rain too” as “thunder growled softly overhead.” “Benjamin loved thunder.” “piyêsiwak!”

The next scene is a favourite because, here, Benjamin activates memories that are aptly captured in richly hued illustrations. One memory recalls when his “friend Joe” told him “that thunder was the sound of the thunderbirds beating their giant wings in the sky” and another of grandfather who said “it [thunder] sounded like the drum his grandfather played. Like a heartbeat.” The illustration of the second memory depicts Benjamin standing close to his grandfather while the elder teaches/apprentices him by guiding his hands on the drumstick while the child learns to play a traditional Cree drum. There is much to admire here: the loving relational setting in which cultural knowledge is passed on to the next generation--the beating, radiating heart logo on Benjamin’s T-shirt, evoking love, and the stylized, gouache drum sitting on economically rendered green land surrounded by blue water.

Readers/viewers who are cultural insiders will be affirmed by this culturally validating book, and those outside it are likely to be grateful for the affordances of traditional cultural knowledge shared via text and illustrations. Consider for instance, knowledge related to piyêsiwak/thunderbirds that are discussed in the book. Knowing little about these mythological birds, I researched and learned that: Generally associated with the “traditions of Indigenous peoples of the northwest Coast of North America”, [t]he Thunderbird speaks of transformation and change and is visually represented according to the artistic styles of each area. When the Thunderbird is in flight, the movement of the wings creates the sound of thunder and when it glances from side to side, lightning is emitted. Sometimes the presence of the Thunderbird creates fear within the community because of its great power to change the fabric of the community. The flight of the thunderbird brings change and renewal and is the most visible reminder that change is inevitable. It is the role of the traditionally trained elder to help young people and the community in general cope with change and understand the place of fear as one of the many ways to cope with change” (Cook & William White/Xelimuxw, 2001, p. 331).

Familiar with cultural stories/understandings about piyêsiwak/thunderbirds and their significance, Benjamin was not “afraid” and remained outdoors amid the rain and “stomped into a giant puddle that held a rainbow and watched colours ripple on the water around his feet.” He also “liked rainbows. Rainbows and puddles. pîsimoyapiya êkwa kâ-wâyipyâsiki. “But he loved thunder best.” At this juncture, Benjamin’s arms are outstretched, confidently/appreciatively as he beholds a scene with fluffy clouds, vivid rainbow, and plum rain drops—he is in a cherished place. The storm intensifies, and “[s]omewhere beyond the crash and boom of thunder, Benjamin heard his mother calling him”, calling him to safety. Recalling fond memories of pow-wows and his father teaching him to dance, Benjamin dances his way home to his mother where, together, they draw pictures of the thunderstorm. Pichette’s image of the Benjamin and his mother—both wearing red shirts—is delightfully unforgettable!

Ideal for young children, Benjamin’s Thunderstorm, a graphically, linguistically (Cree and English) and lyrically rich narrative, is a winning piece of contemporary realistic fiction that evidences appreciation for the natural world, loving memories, and relationships!

Reference:
Cook, P., White/ Xelimuxw, W. (2001). Thunder-birds, Thunder-beings, Thunder-Voices:
The application of traditional knowledge and children’s rights in support of Aboriginal children’s education. The American Review of Canadian Studies, Spring/Summer, 331-347.