Little Cloud's Quest
Illustrator: 
Joyita Banerjee
age group: 
5+ yrs
Number of pages: 
20
Publisher: 
Katha
Themes:
monsoon friendship clouds
Genre:
picture book, fiction
 

 

Children may have often looked up at the sky and amazed at all the different kinds of clouds – thin wispy ones that stretch across the wide blue expanse, curvaceous ones that look like hills rolling across the skies and of course, the all-familiar dark rain clouds.

How many kinds of clouds are they? How did they come into being? What do they signify?

This book beautifully explains it all, through the story of lonely Little Cloud who sets off in search of friends and meets Cirrus clouds, Cumulus clouds and the grey Cumulonimbus clouds that signify rain.

What a great way to teach geography, in general, and cloud formations, in particular!

An added bonus is that the story bears a strong underlying message that it is only when one is helping others and giving of oneself that one’s self worth and self esteem is truly enhanced. It was only when her tears fell to the parched earth as rain, making children revel in the shower and plants spring up from the arid land, that she left behind her loneliness and misery and found friends and happiness. And then, the very same clouds who had spurned her hand of friendship, saw her happy and cheerful and surrounded by friends, breezed in wanting to be friends with her, as well.

"Seeing the fun and joy all the other clouds in the sky came together.
“Let’s play with her! She has so many friends!” they said.

The only downside of the book is the vertical style layout. Whilst, it would be a great tool in the hands of a teacher to read aloud and show the illustrations to the class, it is somewhat difficult for a child to flip the pages upwards and and keep the book open whilst reading.

All in all, a great book for a school library.

Reviewed by Shamim Padamsee