Sonderbooks Book Review of Old Thunder and Miss Raney

Reviewed October 6, 2005.
Dorling Kindersley Publishing, New York, 2000. 32 pages.
Available at Ramstein Library (E DAR).
Sonderbooks Stand-out 2005 (#7, Picture Books)

Sharon Darrow is another author who will be speaking at the children’s writers’ conference I’m going to be attending in November in Paris, so I ordered this book from Ramstein Library to get a taste of her work.

Old Thunder and Miss Raney is a charming story. Raney has never won a prize at the Washita County Fair. This year, she hopes to win with her fluffy biscuits.

But when Raney burns the first batch, she realizes that she has no more flour. She must get to town and back in time to buy flour and bake another batch. Who cares if a storm is coming? Maybe Old Thunder can outrun the storm.

Well, Old Thunder is too old and tired to outrun the storm, but a tornado picks them up, spins them around, and sets them down right at home.

The ending of the story is delightful, as Raney and Old Thunder do manage to win a prize, but not the one we expected.

This story is a lot of fun, and you can’t help admire the determination and pluck of this prairie girl and her horse.

Review of another book by Sharon Darrow:
Through the Tempests Dark and Wild

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Book Reviews by Sondra Eklund

*****Old Thunder and Miss Raney*

by Sharon Darrow

illustrated by Kathryn Brown