Cloudette [Hardcover]

Tom Lichtenheld (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: March 1, 2011 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years | Lexile Measure: 660L (What's this?)

Sometimes being small can have its advantages. If you’re a little cloud like Cloudette, people call you cute nicknames, and you can always find a good spot to watch the fireworks. But what about when you want to do something big, like help a giant garden grow, or make a brook babble?

This charming book gets at the heart of what it means to make a difference no matter your size. Young children will find much to relate to in Cloudette as they follow her on her pursuit for greatness.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-Reminiscent of the determination and courage of The Little Engine That Could, this title delivers its message with charm. A petite cloud believes that she is not big enough to accomplish what the big clouds can: provide enough rain to water crops or replenish a flowing waterfall or river. She is inspired by the accomplishments and "good-natured" acts of her larger kin and wants to have a positive effect on the Earth. She floats over a dried-up pond with one little frog hoping for enough rain to revive it. Can Cloudette move beyond what she believes are her limitations and do great things? Lively illustrations in ink, pastels, colored pencils, and watercolors create engaging spreads and characters that tell a story above and beyond the narrative. For example Cloudette's eyes and mouth grow tighter and her color changes from white to gray to black as she builds up enough steam to form that much-needed cloudburst. A few themes emerge for discussions in this multifaceted book, and there are plenty of details for children to discover. An excellent choice for a storytime or classroom. Well done.-Anne Beier, Clifton Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Diminutive cumulus Cloudette appreciates the advantages of her size, except when the bigger clouds show off by creating significant weather. After being blown to a new neighborhood by a particularly violent thunderstorm, she meets a frog in need of a pond. Summoning all her energy, she generates a respectable downpour, filling a frogworthy habitat. The creator of Bridget�s Beret (2010) offers here another appealing story featuring a plucky heroine. Applying a full-color palette to his watercolor, ink, and colored-pencil cartoons, Lichtenheld makes use of varying page space and panel techniques to add subtle details to his narrative. In one spread, Cloudette puffs up, turns blue-gray, growls fiercely, and then shakes her rumbling behind; in the following, presented vertically, she happily pours. Captions within the art also add to the humor (Cloud: �We knew you had it in you!�). The message that even small fry can accomplish important tasks is well suited to the intended audience; pair with other cloud overachievers, including Eric Carle�s Little Cloud (1996) and Cristoph Niemann�s The Police Cloud (2007). Preschool-Grade 2. --Kay Weisman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (March 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805087761
• ISBN-13: 978-0805087765
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #66,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #45 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Weather

More About the Author

Children's book author & illustrator Tom Lichtenheld writes for kids who love to laugh and adults who love to laugh along with them. See all of his books and get a glimpse of how he creates them at tomlichtenheld.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Cloudette is a Classic! June 16, 2011

By Mama Bee

Format:Hardcover

Why I think "Cloudette" will become a modern-day classic:

* Adults will love reading this book as much as kids. This is huge. As a mom to 4 kids who all love books, we do a LOT of reading in our house and check out loads of books from the library every couple of weeks. I can't tell you how many annoying, cheesy, vacuous children's books I read! Although kids have a natural sense of good literature, their immaturity will sometimes lead them to ask for inane books over and over again... oh, the inward groan uttered when some 'stale, flat, and unprofitable' book is once again placed in your hands! BUT, such is not the case with "Cloudette"! Kids will love the story, but there's just enough mature touches in the book to catch an adult's attention and bring out a smile. For example, on one page the text says that Coudette has an idea, in way down in the bottom corner is a little drawing of her saying, "More like a brainstorm, actually." Now my kid's didn't catch the play on words but it gave me a chuckle.

* It's simple, but not boring. It's a delicate balance to strike with a picture book, but this one does it beautifully. The text is actually VERY short, but there's a LOT going on in the pictures that really catch your interest. One way the author does this is by having the dialog between characters happen IN the pictures, via comic-like word bubbles. After about the 3rd or 4th reading, my kids loved to point to the different characters on a page and say the words they knew they were saying. The author doesn't spell everything out for you in the text, but leaves you to figure some stuff out from the pictures. Kids are smart! They love a little challenge.

* The illustrations are great. I'm kind of a picture snob... I think poor illustrations have ruined too many otherwise good kid's books. But this one is fabulous! Again, simple, but not boring. Little unexpected things going on here and there that really keep you interested.

* It has a fun message. Cloudette isn't big enough to do what the giant clouds do, but through determination and perseverance she finds something she *can* do. That's great! If you have any smaller kids who sometimes get sad that they can't do what Big Brother or Big Sister do, this is the perfect story for them. =]

So yeah, I love this book. If there's ever a 'Great Children's Books of the 21st Century Anthology' put together, I hope "Cloudette" is in it!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable March 21, 2011

By Trisha S

Format:Hardcover

If you liked the Little Engine that Could, you will certainly like this book. It's charming, simple colorful pictures and the moral that even little clouds can do big things. Little Cloudette likes being little,she has little friends just her size, she can hide in little spaces, get a good place to watch fireworks, etc. But when the big clouds ask her to join them, she feels a little intimidated. She wants to do mighty things like they do but she is little. When a storm comes through it blows her to a different place and she finds out even a little cloud can do a little something that makes a little someone happy. Sweet and to the point, adorable.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review of Cloudette March 6, 2011

By Alyson Beecher VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This was a charming read and one of my favorites for today. The story is about a small cloud - aka Cloudette. She is not able to do all the things the other bigger clouds can do nor does she necessarily want to do them. She wants to find her place in the world. After trying to make her mark with no luck, she pursues a new direction thanks to the wind. Then she finds something to really go after which earns her the attention of the bigger clouds. Lovely illustrations work to enhance and bring alive the text.