What’s Scarier Than Thunder?

When Claire yelps at the thunder crashing outside her bedroom windows, her father appears with a specific brand of comfort. Why be scared of paltry thunder when, Falcone writes, “so many other things... are much scarier!” Dad next introduces rhyming scenarios including “a moose filled with custard holding a sword made of mustard!” As Mom bursts in with new variations (“a zombie named Lisa,/ who ate all my pizza!”), Cornell uses a full palette to portray the pale-skinned family and ghostly blue hues to convey the goofy concepts. As the stories grow ever wilder, and now-laughing Claire becomes ever sleepier, what lingers isn’t fear but the feelings of playfulness and safety that can bloom amid attachments secure enough to be silly. Ages 3–6. (Mar.)