Little Cloud

May 1, 1996
PreS-Gr 1-A familiar story line involving the whimsical world of ever-changing shapes in the sky. Little Cloud drifts away from his wispy friends and entertains himself by changing into a variety of forms-a lamb, an airplane, a shark, a clown, etc.-before joining the others to form one big cloud that rains. Charles Shaw's It Looked Like Spilt Milk (HarperCollins, 1947) explores a similar theme. While the concept is not unique, the style is definitely Carle's own. His trademark painted cut-paper collages are eye-catching and appealing. Children will enjoy the simple text and the colorful illustrations.-Kathy Mitchell, Gadsden Co. Public Library, Quincy, FL

April 1, 1996
Ages 3^-5. Carle, who has been writing and illustrating pictures books for almost 40 years, proves that his touch is as sure as ever in this book about a cloud and the shapes it takes on. The format is simplicity itself. Against a heavenly blue background, a little cloud transforms itself. In one spread it turns into a sheep, in another a shark, in a third a rabbit. It even becomes a clown's hat, and then the whole clown. When it joins up with the other clouds, they turn dark together, and then it begins to rain. The oversize format features textured collage cloud shapes that take up almost the whole spread. With only one line of text per spread and such easy-to-see pictures, this qualifies as a perfect story hour choice--and segues nicely into a trip outside to look up at the sky. ((Reviewed April 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)

April 15, 1996
A minor addition to Carle's lengthy list of child-captivating titles, this lean tale introduces a cloud that changes itself into a handful of shapes. Calling upon memories of objects it has seen, Little Cloud becomes a plane, a shark, trees, a rabbit and a clown before rejoining its peers. At this point they do what clouds are apt to do when they get together: "Then all the clouds changed into one big cloud and rained!" Popping out from a textured background of rich turquoise, Carle's luminous collage art features broad, swirling strokes reminiscent of fingerpainting. As minimalist as the text, these images may well inspire kids to cast more creative glances at the sky. Although the conceit is imaginative, the execution lacks the inventiveness and extra sparkle of such Carle classics as the "Very" quartet. Ages 2-6.