Once Upon A Cloud

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Are clouds "the exhaust from alien ships/that leave puffy trails/when they go on their trips?" or cotton candy for giants or, maybe, "cushions/where birds take their naps,/resting their wings/and hiding from cats?" Walker's creative musings are engaging and readers can't help but join in the fun. Mahurin's amusing illustrations have a surreal quality that fits perfectly with the fanciful text. Colors are calming, with lots of blue skies and cottony clouds. This book would work beautifully with Charles Green Shaw's It Looked Like Spilt Milk (HarperCollins, 1947) for teaching a unit on clouds, but don't limit the enjoyment to young children. Keep a copy around for a quick mental-health break. Or grab a blanket and go outside to build your own cumulus fantasies. This book is a no-carb, guilt-free escape for anyone with a head in the clouds.–Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

K-Gr. 3. From whimsical to fantastical, creative imaginings of clouds are presented in catchy rhymes and dreamy, charming illustrations. Scenarios range from predictable (clouds as cotton balls) to inventive (angels' ice cream). Richly hued and textured double-page spreads, with clever, often surrealistic details, are accompanied by embedded quatrains, adding drama and inviting scrutiny. Some vocabulary (squalls, for example) may confuse younger children, as might some of the allusions: "Are clouds puffs of smoke from Grandfather's pipe-- / or a monster that swallows / your runaway kite" appears with a picture of dark clouds, studded with kites that look like teeth, hovering over a conspicuously empty bench and Grandpa's smoking pipe left lying on the ground. The text invites participation, though it ends definitively: "clouds are just dreams that wander about." Still, this is an enchanting book, a good prelude to cloud-viewing outings, and great for inspiring individual interpretations. Shelle Rosenfeld
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