Clouds and Clocks: A Story for Children Who Soil [Paperback]

Matthew Galvin (Author), Sandra Ferraro (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1989 | Age Level: 4 and up

Upset and afraid when his beloved grandfather has to go to the hospital, Andrew, whose working mother has little time for him, develops a problem of his own when he stops using the toilet.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- These utilitarian titles deal with soiling (encopresis) and the death of a grandfather. According to the foreword to parents in Clouds and Clocks, approximately one percent of five-year-olds have a problem with bowel control, thus suffering isolation, frustration, and embarrassment. When Andrew's grandfather goes to the hospital, Andrew starts having a problem of his own. Mornings are rushed, and he doesn't want to use the bathroom at school; children tease him, and his mother is angry because he soils his pants. With the help of a physician and a psychiatrist, Andrew and his mother learn to relax and to share their feelings. Full-page illustrations are brushed charcoal with soft blue cloud and sky backgrounds swirled with white. The book, intended for parents to use with children, could fill a need in large collections. Gran-Gran's Best Trick is seeing things that no one else notices, and when he dies, his granddaughter is determined to remember that and everything else about him so that her baby sister could someday know Gran-Gran too. The soft, black-pencil drawings and text are framed within a thin line, creating broad white borders. Separation and death are warmly and lovingly addressed in a number of other books; therefore, while Gran - Gran is a pleasant book, it is an additional purchase where demand is high. --Virginia Opocensky, formerly at Lincoln City Libraries, NB
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Magination Press (September 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0945354150
• ISBN-13: 978-0945354154
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 7.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,174,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Can help you, talking to your child about soiling problems, April 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Clouds and Clocks: A Story for Children Who Soil (Paperback)

We have read through this book and find that it can be useful as an aid to opening discussions with your child about encopresis. Having said that, we feel that it is aimed at a very low age group, who may have difficulties with reading in the first instance. The one problem we have is that our encopretic children are above the elementary reading level and therefore got bored and distracted very easily.

One situation that arises with encopresis is that children tend to feel very alone and afraid, because of the amount of pressure heaped on to them at an important stage in their development. This book goes some way to addressing those feelings, but if you are considering it for a child over 5-6 years of age (which is of course the very age where encopresis is causing its biggest headaches) then maybe have the book on a side stand somewhere, and try to talk to your child on a more personal level.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Son Got Instant Results From This Book, August 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Clouds and Clocks: A Story for Children Who Soil (Paperback)

I read the story to my 4 1/2 year old son, after months of fruitless efforts to help him. He immediately identified with the boy in the story. I took him into the bathroom, intending to start with the first step suggested, however, my son proceeded through all the steps right then and there, and has not had an accident since! I couldn't believe it! I recommend this book to anyone with a child who has this problem.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Informative for the children who suffer Encopresis, March 16, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Clouds and Clocks: A Story for Children Who Soil (Paperback)

We ourselves have a copy of this book and if your child is in the early stages of Encopresis, treatment wise, then this does go some way to relieving the fears they have. Being a parent of Encopretic children I did find uses for the book, as an aid towards opening the childs mind as to what goes on and found it a great tool to open discussion with your child about the problem. What a shame that there is not more people willing to put it in print as to what the fears are of the childs parents or guardians.

The only addition to this book is to see a book written by and on behalf of the the parents of sufferers. We need support and guidance as well!