THUNDERBOOM

Anyone can be a hero.

A mostly nonverbal boy named Logan is excited to see a holiday parade with his family. On the way there, he greets many people on the train, including a younger brown-skinned girl with a stuffed bear. Once they arrive, Logan squeezes through the crowd and finds himself surrounded by people in masks—something he definitely does not like. In his imagination, they morph into tall, bushy-haired monsters. But that’s nothing that ThunderBoom, Logan’s imaginary alter ego, can’t handle with his sonic foot stomps. Later, Logan finds the girl from the train, also separated from her family, and helps save her teddy bear from baton-twirling “ninjas.” Logan also encounters grocery-store mascots that, in his mind, morph into robots and a loud neighbor dog who may just be misunderstood, like Logan. Logan narrates the imagination sequences, his confidence, helpful, friendly nature, and frustrations on full display—though all of these are evident in the rest of the story as well. Expressive cartoon art, dominated by oranges and blues, adeptly conveys Logan’s story. Based on Briglio’s son’s experiences and diagnosis of Angelman syndrome (a genetic disorder that causes developmental delays and speech impairment), this tale shows the rich, inner life of someone who isn’t always understood, even by those who love him. Brown-skinned Logan is biracial—his dad’s family is Italian and White-presenting, while his mom is brown-skinned.

Dynamic heroism wrapped in realistic adventures.