Thunder Boy Jr.
Written by Sherman Alexie
Illustrated by Yuyi Morales
A Review by Danae Ross
Thunder Boy Jr. is about a young boy named after his dad, but who does not like his name. He thinks that other people have better names than he does. He spends most of the pages of the book thinking about all of the great names he would choose that would represent all of his accomplishments, such as “Not Afraid of Ten Thousand Teeth,” “Mud in His Ears,” or “Gravity’s Best Friend.” In the end, he and his father decide to give him a new name that is all his own but still respects his traditions and family.
The cover features Thunder Boy Jr. being lifted by his father in a powerful stance, beckoning the lightning and thunder. The illustrations are perfectly matched to the story and feature dark, mysterious neutrals with pops of vibrant colors, mixed with lots of Native American imagery.
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| A funny moment from Alexie's Thunder Boy Jr. |
This book is intended for lower elementary school children. It teaches kids the importance and power of names. Disliking your name is something that a lot of people struggle with. This book would be a great way to start a conversation about why names matter and why you should always call someone by their correct name - not just make up your own pronunciation or name (friendly nicknames discluded) for someone. I would start with a pre-reading activity where students brainstormed all of the reasons someone has the name they have (parents liked it, named after a relative, passed down from generation, says something about their personality, cultural significance, etc.), we would talk about the importance of names in different Native American communities, then move into a conversation about why all names are important to say correctly. After, we would read the book and talk about Thunder Boy Jr.’s name change.
I think Sherman Alexie missed the mark when it came to promoting Native American inclusion. The book features Native American names and imagery, but includes questionable lines such as, “My mother’s name is Agnes. My sister’s name is Lillian. Those are fancy names. But they are normal names. Thunder Boy Jr. is not even close to normal” (p. 9). I think the use of “normal” is problematic - especially when he ends up switching his name in the end. However, I do think this is a good book for a discussion about names and I think that line can spark a critical question: Why does Thunder Boy Jr. think that his name is not normal?
Read more about Sherman Alexie’s motivation for writing this book, including his relationship with his father:
PBS book interview with Sherman Alexie: (12 minutes)
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