about the book
Little Thunder does not like his Indian name. He’s told his parents so.
His Dad’s name is Big Thunder. (He was named after his Dad. His mother wanted to name him Sam.) Big Thunder is a good name. Little Thunder sounds like a burp or a fart. He can come up with many names that would be better:
Starboy.
Old Toys Are Awesome.
Not Afraid of Ten Thousand.
Touch the Clouds.
Little Thunder may have convinced his parents to let him change his name. Will they let him choose a new one?
about the author
Sherman Alexie was born in Wellpinit, Washington, on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Challenging circumstances led him to be an eager reader early in his life. As a baby, he suffered from hydrocephalus—water on the brain—and had to have surgery at six months old. As a boy, he experienced seizures from the condition and couldn’t participate in many activities, which kept him from playing with other kids. In addition, his father was an alcoholic who frequently did not have a job. Sherman repeatedly ran away as a child to escape the circumstances.
When Sherman grew older, he attended a high school off the reservation, graduating with honors and was class president. He thought he wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer but after great unhappiness, he found his calling upon taking a college literature course.
Sherman has gone on to write movies, poetry, books, and performances about his experiences growing up Indian in America. He prefers the term “Indian” to “Native American.” He currently lives in Seattle with his family.
Source:
Author website
Author biography: GradeSaver
Author interview: NPR
Author biography: Encyclopedia Britannica
Book Trailer: Thunder Boy Jr.
about the illustrator
A child in the city of flowers—Xalapa, Mexico, where the spring waters poured out of the desert sands, according to legend—Yuyi Morales spent most of her time thinking about aliens, wishing they would be friendly and come with their UFO and take her away.
Yuyi also tried being psychic, but that didn’t work. Her acrobat career didn’t last very long either, as she ended up breaking lots of things in the house. She grew up and became an artist and writer instead. Go figure!
Source:
Illustrator website
Illustrator interview: Miss Marple’s Musings
Illustrator interview: Humanities Washington
Also by Yuyi Morales:
Rudas : Nino’s Horrendous Hermanitas. Roaring Brook Press. 2016.
Viva Frida. Roaring Brook Press. 2014.
Georgia in Hawaii : When Georgia O’Keeffe Painted What She Pleased by Amy Novesky. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2012.
Ladder to the Moon by Maya Soetoto-Ng. Candlewick Press. 2011.
Floating on Mama’s Song = Flotando en la Cancion de Mama by Laura Lacamara. Katherine Tegen Books. 2010.
My Abuelita by Tony Johnston. Harcourt Children’s Books. 2009.
Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes. Henry Holt & Company. 2006.
Sand Sister by Amanda White. Barefoot Books. 2004.
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