Review by Booklist Review
When an evening thunderstorm rages outside, a child faces their fear with the loving support of family. Waking in fright, the youngster is quickly comforted by their mother's soothing embrace. The straightforward, first-person narration is honest and relatable: "The lightning scares me, but my father says, 'It's okay to be scared sometimes.' Then he puts his arms around me." The repeated sentiment, "And I feel safe," is a heartening refrain. The tempest can't dampen spirits inside. Grandfather plays guitar, and a party takes place by the glow of candlelight, complete with hot cocoa and biscuits. Bolstered by a sense of calm security, everyone comes out of hiding, including the pets. McPhail's softly focused illustrations atmospherically evoke the stormy night world with shadows cast on bedroom walls, windblown curtains, and jagged white bolts illuminating the midnight blue sky. Once the child is snugly tucked back into bed, the reflective ending asks readers, "What makes you feel safe?" A warm, reassuring picture book about weathering storms together.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Jolted awake by a thunderstorm, a frightened child is soothed by each member of their extended Black family in this centering picture book. After the child wakes and two pets leap off the bed, "my mother comes in to comfort me" and "my father carries me to the front porch," where they watch the lightning as a performance ("It's okay to be scared sometimes," the father adds). "My grandmother" lights candles when the power goes out, and "my grandfather" leads a family sing-along. "I feel safe," the child says after each act of loving reassurance, and then pays that feeling forward: when the family dog and cat can't be found, the child spots them, then "I hug them and tell them they are safe now." There's an ever-deepening, lullaby-like rhythm at work in the concise, unadorned prose, and single-plane pen, ink, and watercolor art supplies soft textures and colors that radiate a subtle glow. As the child falls asleep under now-clear skies, "feeling safe," McPhail's (I Am Just Right) final line invites readers to make the story their own: "What makes you feel safe?" Storms come and go, but love is constant in this portrait of familial closeness. Ages 3--6. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Aug.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2--All is quiet as a young child and two furry companions sleep soundly in their bed--that is, until a thunderstorm rolls through and wakes up the whole crew with a start! The thunder gives the young girl such a scare, but her mother is right there to comfort her with a huge hug. Throughout the night her parents and grandparents look for other ways to help her feel safe: watching the storm together on the porch, hosting a storm party. Just as the young girl starts to feel better, she remembers her two four-legged friends and wonders where they could've gone. A family search reveals two scared pets, ready to rejoin the household. Starting with the front matter, readers see the storm before the heroine, providing an opportunity for prediction. Young readers will recognize the storm's impact through McPhail's use of line--curtains blowing in the window, hair flowing back with the force of the wind. Different shades of blue are often used to emphasize the shadows created by the storm and other sources of light. The text, dominated by simple sentences and sight words, make this story ideal for sharing, and McPhail extends this by addressing readers directly: "What makes you feel safe?" VERDICT An excellent addition to early elementary collections, perfect for sharing, starting conversations, or creating activities.--Louie Lauer
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Review by Horn Book Review
A young girl awakes to the sound of thunder and is afraid. Then, "My mother comes in to comfort me. And I feel safe." So begins the calm problem-and-solution pattern of a family experiencing a dark and stormy night. When lightning frightens the child, her father hugs her and declares, "It's okay to be scared sometimes." Grandmother lights candles when the power fails. Grandfather plays guitar for the family to sing along during their "storm party," complete with biscuits and hot cocoa. When the family pets (Frankie the dog and JoJo the cat) go missing, the entire family searches for them -- but it is ultimately up to the girl to do what she can to ensure they feel that "they are safe now." Alternating between double-page spreads and vignettes, McPhail makes expert use of ink and watercolors in cool tones to bring a sense of peacefulness to the story. Various hairstyles and features are shown within this Black-presenting family. The story ends with a question to the reader: "What makes you feel safe?" A soothing read for young children and their caregivers, and an opportunity to discuss uncertainty, fear, and solutions for comfort. Eboni Njoku July/August 2022 p.95(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A loving Black family snuggles in close during a storm. Loud thunder rumbles through the sky. A youngster with an Afro and arms splayed wide jumps in fright. Mother rushes in to give a comforting squeeze. The first-person narrator contentedly sighs, "And I feel safe." As the lightning flashes, the youngster's father acknowledges, "It's okay to be scared sometimes." One more reassuring hug, and the narrator repeats, "And I feel safe." Grandma lights candles when the lights go out, and Grandpa strums the guitar. Biscuits and hot cocoa reinforce feelings of warmth and security. But where are the pets? They are hiding from the storm, and it is now the child's turn to help others feel safe. McPhail sets the vignettes against pale lilac and teal backdrops, softening the edges of the frames with a fuzzy, airbrushed effect. The refrain is calm and grounding, while the first-person point of view conveys closeness. McPhail shifts the perspective to the reader at the end, once all is quiet and everyone is tucked in bed, asking, "What makes you feel safe?" (This book was reviewed digitally.) Storms can be scary, but this story wraps you in a warm hug. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
