“Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I’ve looked at clouds that way”
– Joni Mitchell (1966)
“Before dawn, the clouds gathered to plan for a storm.
‘When should we start?’
‘How much should we rain?’
‘Should we invite the winds?’
Everyone was focused.
Except for Little Cloud.
Little Cloud wanted a closer look at the valley.
No one would notice if a small puff of cloud floated away.
‘Where do you think you’re going?’ boomed Big Gray Cloud.
‘Look at all the wonderful things below,’ said Little Cloud.
‘What if instead of storming, we–’
‘NONSENSE!’ thundered Big Gray Cloud, pulling Little Cloud back to join the others.”
The broad, picturesque landscapes Little Cloud sees below them are downright beautiful. Amongst the vivid scenes on Planet Earth, Little Cloud spies a friendly young bovine.
It’s a simple story. But for all the three-year-olds who spend way too much time being bossed and herded around by oh-so-busy adults with their oh-so-important tasks and errands, this will be a joy and a giggle, and will quite likely lead to requests for re-readings.
The tale concludes with the two new buddies smiling conspiratorially at one another from afar. Pair THE LITTLE CLOUD with the 78-year-old classic, IT LOOKED LIKE SPILT MILK; take the kids on a field trip out to the play yard to search for Little Cloud hanging out above; and organize a related art project.
THE LITTLE CLOUD provides a great lesson in observing nature, finding happiness in simple pleasures, and how adults can too often be too busy to live in the moment and savor the wonders of our glorious planet and its inhabitants.
40 pages 978-0063359994 Ages 4-7
Keywords: cloud, nature, outdoors, wonder, observing, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old
Recommended by: Richie Partington, MLIS, California USA
See more of Richie's Picks <http://richiespicks.com/> http://richiespicks.pbworks.co
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A beautiful day is dawning—but everyone except Little Cloud is too busy to notice. A lush and emotional picture book about curiosity, exploration, and being present, from the creator of A Spark in the Dark and When the Fog Rolls In. For fans of Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenfeld.
A cloud’s job is to make storms. And that is what they love to do. All except one, that is. Little Cloud would much rather take a moment to enjoy the view of the world below. The farmer is whistling, the piglets are having a snack, the bees are buzzing, ducks waddling, and stream babbling. But NONSENSE, thunders Big Gray Cloud. There’s no time for that. Big Gray Cloud and the others are so busy getting ready to storm that they never notice the sun coming out until it scatters them.
With expressive characters and lush scenery, Pam Fong delivers a beautiful picture book with compelling social and emotional hooks. The Little Cloud encourages us to stay curious and be present, find delight in what others may overlook, and make the most out of each day.---from the publisher
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The dark before dawn and the clouds have gathered for they have important work to do because each knows that a cloud’s job is to make storms -it's fun and they love it, so each is busy being busy gathering what they need to create havoc.
All except one, that is. Little Cloud would much rather slop away to take a moment to enjoy the view of the world below. As light spread overs the land Little Cloud sees the farmer is whistling, the piglets are having a snack, the bees are buzzing, the ducks are waddling, the stream is babbling and the cows are enjoying the fresh, green grass. One even winks at him!
But Big Grey Cloud is angry with Little Cloud and no are the others - there’s no time for that sort of nonsense. There are storms to create.. Until...
It seems like Little Cloud's life echoes that of many of our children today, as the adults around them always seem to be in a rush and there is no time just to be. As though taking a moment to admire what is around us is not only unworthy and wasting time but something to actually condemn. But what is actually happening while they are so busy with work, work work and everything else that fills the time? Can the readers spot the looming danger?
This is a clever book that encourages little ones to stay curious, be observant and see the little things that make up life and the clever formatting that ensures they engage with the illustrations support this. But, at the same time, they could suggest the sort of music and movement that might represent the storm clouds and Little Cloud, contrasting the two and maybe even using their bodies to make it. It could even spark an investigation into what clouds are, how storms are formed and the weather generally.
This is a wonderful example of visual storytelling where young readers can involve all their senses as they suggests words that describe what they are seeing, what they might be hearing, how Big Cloud and Little Cloud are feeling, as well as predicting what the two blank pages portray.
Recommended by: Barbara Braxton, Teacher Librarian, New South Wales AUSTRALIA
See more of her recommendations:
500 Hats http://500hats.edublogs.org/
The Bottom Shelf http://thebottomshelf.edublogs.org/
