Realistic Fiction

When Lightning Comes in a Jar

Author: Patricia Polacco

Illustrator: Patricia Polacco

Reading Level: 1st- 5th

Genre: Realistic Fiction

            Do you have a big family? One with lots of uncles, aunts, grandparents, and cousins? Have you ever been to a family reunion? Have you ever tried to catch lightning in a jar? When Lightning Comes in a Jar is a great story about family traditions and how that even when those who created the traditions have passed, they are still carried on year to year.

           

            The story begins with a woman recollecting her family reunions from when she was a child. She remembers that everyone in the family came; cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, parents. They all came to her grandmother’s house where they ate food (especially Jell-O salads), played baseball, told stories, shared pictures, and played croquet. The woman recalls one family reunion where her grandmother told her about catching lightning in a jar. The whole time during the party the girl wonders how this is possible. After doing all of the activities, listening to Aunt Adah tell the story of when she first rode in a car, and taking the family photo it is time for gramma to show them how to catch lightning in a jar. First she scoops something up from the ground, then holds her cupped hands to her mouth and blows. The object falls back into the grass. After a few moments of silence fireflies start lighting up and flying all over the place! The children run and laugh as they chase after the fireflies with their jars. At the end of their chase the young girl sits with her gramma, and her jar of fireflies on the porch and thinks about how she will never forget that night. The story ends in current time where the young girl is now a woman and is having her own family reunion. Even though many family members have since passed the traditions remain the same; baseball, Jell-O, croquet, stories, and finally lightning in a jar.

            I would keep this story in my bookshelves because it teaches the importance of family and traditions. These are very important pieces of our lives because it makes us who we are. With the story children can think of and share their own traditions that they have with their families and how it makes them who they are today. This story is great to share with almost any grade because it applies to everyone; boys and girls. The pictures are fun and colorful and there is a lot going on. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely keep it in my library.

            This book follows #7 (Beginning Reading), #8 (Understanding a Text), #9 (Making Connections), and #10 (Genre) of the Massachusetts ELA Standards. From this book students will be able to expand their language, identify main facts and ideas of the story, be able to make connections with the story, and be able to identify the different genres of literature.