Cloud Dance [Paperback]

Thomas Locker (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Journey across the heavens through thick cumulus clouds, wispy cirrus clouds, and wide stratus clouds as they dance through every season of the year.
Thomas Locker introduces young readers to the basic science of our natural world with brilliant illustrations and poetic prose.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-This beautifully designed book celebrates clouds as they appear during the different hours of the day and seasons of the year. Each two-page spread features a few lines of prose on the verso and an illustration encompassing most of the recto. The oil paintings are done in subdued and relaxing colors. Many of them show a small child walking with an adult on a path. The book does not have a lot of action, but would be perfect for quiet and relaxed sharing between adult and child. Factual information about clouds is provided on the last two pages.
Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. This picture book for older children follows Water Dance (1997) in what one hopes will be a long series. It blends Locker's spare, poetic, informative text with his well-known Hudson River school-style landscapes. The strength here, as with many of his works, is the way Locker lets his paintings do most of the talking. Austere lines of text ("High, wispy clouds race in the autumn wind" or "Fluffy summer clouds march in the blue sky") are complemented by art that goes beyond the call of illustrative duty to reveal the wonder and beauty of the sky in different seasons and under various meteorological conditions. The paintings speak eloquently of the complete, seamless quality of the elemental natural world. An informative section at the book's end, entitled "About Clouds," links the beauty to the science. With Locker's immediate stylistic connection to the Hudson River painters, Cloud Dance becomes a successful blend of fiction, science, and art. Tim Arnold
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152045961
• ISBN-13: 978-0152045968
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 11 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #47,867 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > General
  • #31 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Weather
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > General

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cloud Dance, November 8, 2000

By 

Shelly Broich (Boone, IA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cloud Dance (Hardcover)

Thomas Locker creates an interesting way to learn about clouds in this beautifully illustrated book. As the reader turns the pages of this book, they encounter numerous types of clouds. The first illustration shows the many different sizes and shapes clouds can assume, from the light and wispy cirrus cloud to the puffy cumulus cloud. With each turn of the page, clouds are seen in different seasons and times of day, under various weather conditions. The illustrations are eye appealing oil paintings. As you view each picture, it is like you are standing on the ground and seeing the vast sky with the clouds creating a mosaic of lights, shapes, and colors. You can almost feel the rain hitting your face when you look at the painting depicting clouds in a rain storm. The painting of the clouds that "shimmer in the moonlight" gives the reader a sense of calm. Each painting in this book causes the reader to feel some emotion--from the suppressed anger of a developing thunderstorm to the warm peace of a sunset. At the end of the book the author includes factual information about clouds. The scientific names are given for all the clouds along with a description. Answers are also given for such questions as "How are clouds formed?" and "How high does the sky reach?" This book would be a good way to introduce a science unit on clouds and weather. The illustrations would stimulate a student's imagination and could be a starting point for them to begin thinking about what clouds look like at different times and in a variety of conditions. Cloud Dance would be a valuable addition to anyone's library.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cloud Dance, February 22, 2006

By 

S. Smetana - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cloud Dance (Hardcover)

This is an absolutely beautiful book. I am an art teacher attempting to integrate the visual arts and science. This book came highly recommended by a school librarian and I am so grateful for her direction. I will definitely share the book with my students.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Totally Stunning!, March 6, 2008

By 

Miss Dahl (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cloud Dance (Paperback)

This book is really beautiful the scenes are like a gentle lullaby and to boot its educational I recommend all Thomas Lockers books!