Personalised story for a child afraid of thunder: your child and the Thunder Picnic

What happens in your child and the Thunder Picnic

1. Your child helps unpack a favourite picnic in the park.
2. A low rumble makes your child stop and look at the clouds.
3. The family finds a sheltered spot and makes a cosy blanket den.
4. Your child chooses familiar comforts while rain taps nearby.
5. The thunder fades, and the family enjoys the picnic once more.

How the first page could read

Your child had packed the very best things for a picnic: round cucumber sandwiches, juicy strawberries and a yellow blanket big enough for everyone. In the hometown park, the grass tickled your child's toes. Then the sky gave a low, rumbly grrrr. Your child looked up at the darkening clouds.

Your child’s name, look and little details replace these words, and the whole story is written for their age.

Why this story works

Thunder can feel enormous when a child is outdoors and waiting for it to stop. This gentle, everyday picnic story gives your child familiar things to notice: a blanket, snacks, a hand to hold and a sheltered spot with family. It does not ask your child to like the noise or pretend it is not loud. Instead, the story leaves room for an uncertain face, then shows small choices that give the wait a simple routine, such as sitting close, covering ears or watching raindrops. Seeing their own photo turned into your child in the illustrations makes these practical comforts part of a story they can return to before a stormy day.

Reading it together

• Read it together on a calm day, so your child can point out the picnic items they would choose for their own blanket den.
• Pause at the first thunder page and let your child name what they notice in the sky and how the sound seems to the character.
• Keep the book nearby for a rainy afternoon and revisit the pages about sitting close and waiting together.

Suggested art style: Storybook watercolour

Soft watercolour skies make the changing weather feel gentle while keeping your child's expressions clear. A sidekick idea: a curious park robin. You can pick any of the four styles and change the details in the form.