Name: ________________________________

Thunder and Lightning

One blistering, cold winter, snow fell like a blanket over
the North. The people who lived there decided that it was
time for them to leave. There weren’t any animals left to
hunt and their igloos could no longer keep them warm. They
had to head South to food and safety.
At the same time that the villagers were packing up and
leaving, there were two children playing merrily in the snow.
They were miles from the village in their favorite spot to sled
down the hills. This brother and sister were orphans and when
they returned to the village, everyone had already gone.
They noticed that the fires hadn’t been put out, and the
kettles still hung above each one. However, there wasn’t a
soul in sight.
“Our people have deserted us,” the brother remarked.
“I do not believe it. They wouldn’t leave us
here alone”, the sister replied. “Maybe
they have been covered in the snow!”
The brother and sister decided to set
out to find their village family. They searched
high and low for any signs of their people. They
faced the wind and snow for hours. The hours
turned into days and the brother and sister were
©Tobin, Mar. 2017
 ready to give up. They were exhausted and famished. They hadn’t
slept or eaten in days. “I am so cold,” the sister cried to her
brother. “I can’t feel my fingers.”
“Do not worry, Sister. We will figure this out. We just need to stick
together.”
Just then, Sister noticed an peculiar looking stone. It was
protruding out from the immense snow pile that they were standing
near. She reached for the stone and pulled it from it’s home in the
snow. “It’s flint!” she exclaimed. It was the most magnificent piece
of flint that she had ever seen. She was ecstatic. Now, they could
make a warm fire!
The brother began to jump up and down excitedly in his strong,
sealskin boots and with each bound, he came down, BOOM, BOOM,
BOOM. With that noise, the clouds shook and the stars twinkled
invitingly. Sister said, “Brother, I think that the stars want us to go
up to the sky.” So, up they went.
The stars took the children in, one star commenting, “We have
been watching you in your struggles. It seemed very frightening and
we were so happy that you chose to stick together. We would love
for you to live with us in the sky, but you must be magic to live up
here.” The sister struck her flint and a streak of fire
flashed across the sky. “Astounding!” cried the stars.
They looked to her brother, who began stomping with
his sealskin boots, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. “Amazing!”
bellowed the clouds. The brother and sister now had a
family and would celebrate with sparks and booms in the sky.
©Tobin, Mar. 2017
Name: _______________________________

Thunder and Lightning Questions

1. Why were the children alone? Underline details from the passage in *red.
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2. When were the children ready to give up? Underline details from the passage
in *blue.
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3. What made the stars and clouds want the children to live with them?
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4. What is the theme of the story?
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5. Go back and underline two supporting details from the passage in green.
Describe how they support your theme.
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©Tobin, Mar. 2017