Zap! Clap! Boom!

Morning’s calm. Outside is still. A blue-forever day until…
The real beginning of a thunderstorm happens long before the first raindrop falls.
No rain yet. It’s just a threat-
a rising cloud, a towering plume, then…
Follow along as the weather changes, from a blue-sky day to a brewing storm, from a brewing storm to a dazzling downpour, and from a dazzling downpour to the breathtaking moment when the sky emits a-
ZAP! CLAP! BOOM!
Laura Purdie Salas’s dynamic text and Elly MacKay’s vibrant art offer the perfect introduction to the science of weather and the forces that work together to create a storm. The next time nature puts on a dramatic thunder and lightning show, readers will be ready to find a cozy spot near a window and watch the storm unfold.
Author: Laura Purdie Salas
Illustrator: Elly MacKay
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books (March 2023)
ISBN: 978-1547602254
Add to Goodreads
Illustrator: Elly MacKay
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s Books (March 2023)
ISBN: 978-1547602254
Add to Goodreads
Signed Copies Available
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Awards and Recognition
- Starred Booklist review
- Shelf Awareness Best Books of the Week
Book Trailer & Other Videos
Book trailer:
2-minute video excerpt about the art surprise in Zap! Clap! Boom!
FREE Activities
FREE Activities
Thunderstorm Life Cycle (click image for downloadable .pdf) ![]() |
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Reviews & More
- [STARRED review] Booklist: “Fluid, rhyming text…well-researched back matter.”
- School Library Journal: “The book is a perfect read-aloud…Don’t miss the thunder science section at the end—a gift.”
- The Horn Book: “It begs to be read aloud.”
- [Best Books This Week] Shelf Awareness: “Salas imbues the stormy scene with a Halloweeny menace: “Wind blows fiercely,/ howls/ and shrieks./ The world/ groans slowly,/ shivers,/ creaks”; MacKay uses bruise-like purples and blues to capture nature at its fiercest.”
- Kirkus Reviews: “A crashing success.”
- Erin Dealey: Book birthdays and 7 Questions
- Pioneer Press: Literary Pick