I am the kind of person who’s always looking up at the clouds (or at birds), so I thought I’d round up some of my favorite picture books about clouds. But first, my reviews of two excellent new kid lit releases.
New Releases
Addy’s Chair to Everywhere by Debi Novotny, illustrated by Jomike Tejido
Addy is a wheelchair user who loves to pretend play in her chair. At school, she wants kids to pretend with her, but the other students are a little shy and nervous about playing with her. When a child finally plays with her, the two blast off into imaginary space, and soon enough, other children join in. The author is a kindergarten teacher who was inspired by her experiences in a wheelchair to write this book. The picture book’s back matter includes a section for teachers on how they can make their classrooms an inclusive community.
Spooky Celebrations Around the World by Matt Ralphs, illustrated by Veronika Kotyk
It’s never too early for spooky season, in my opinion. This nonfiction children’s book describes 21 spooky festivals around the world, like Ptri Paksha—a Hindu ritual honoring the souls of dead ancestors—and Mari Lwyd in Wales, where people dressed in a horse’s skull costume visit homes in December or January and sing folksongs. Each page spread describes a frightening festival accompanied by vivid illustrations. The last page spread lists even more celebrations. It’s a great read for kids who love Halloween or spooky things in general.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Kumo: the Bashful Cloud by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Nathalie Dion
This gorgeously illustrated picture book follows the cloud Kumo as she floats across the world. One day, she provides shade to a gardener; on another, she drifts through skyscrapers in a noisy city. When she meets a child with his head in the clouds, she changes shapes for him. Another day, she joins with her friends to create a rain shower. She always thought she wanted to be invisible, but floating through the world shows her that it’s not so bad to be seen. This is a whimsical, lovely read.
Ploof by Ben Clanton, illustrated by Andy Chou Musser
This is a really cute interactive picture book for preschoolers and toddlers. Ploof the Cloud is a little lonely and shy. Can the reader play with Ploof and help Ploof feel better? A second Ploof book releases in October—Paint with Ploof.
Lizzy and the Cloud by Terry Fan & Eric Fan
The Fan brothers always write the most whimsical, imaginative picture books. At the park one day, Lizzie adopts a cloud from a cloud seller. She doesn’t pick a fancy cloud, just a simple, basic cloud. But cloud care turns out to be a lot harder than she imagined. And sometimes, to care for something you love, you have to let it go. It’s gorgeously illustrated, as always with the Fan brothers.
Partly Cloudy by Deborah Freedman
This picture book centering two very different rabbits is actually a great way to learn about the different types of clouds. One rabbit sees imaginative things in the clouds, like cotton candy, jellyfish, and magic beans. The other rabbit corrects the imaginative one by explaining the different types of clouds, like cumulus, virga, and cirrocumulus. When a storm arrives, the imaginative rabbit is the first to notice. Back matter includes an illustration showing how clouds form, a list of the ten main types of clouds, and a water cycle illustration. It’s a great combination of whimsy and nonfiction.
Bookish Good
Let’s All Go to the Library Sticker by CTKRStudio
Don’t forget me, book friends! I seriously need this sticker. $3+
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