Little Cloud and Lady Wind

January 4, 2010
The Morrisons (Peeny Butter Fudge
) examine the problem of being part of a group while maintaining one's identity. Quietly rebellious Little Cloud will not join the other clouds, who want to “terrify the earth with storm and thunder.” She loves the earth and wants to live there. Lady Wind carries her through a storm and brings her to a valley spangled with dew, mist, and a rainbow, as Little Cloud learns she can be part of the earth without losing her cloudness. In Qualls's (Before John Was a Jazz Giant
) collages, Little Cloud has pensive expressions and puffy blue hair, while Lady Wind has the flowing hair and gown of a goddess. The homey, cut-and-paste nature of the pencil lines, cut-paper stars, and pale blue paint strokes forms a comfortable counterpoint to the mythic dimensions of the story. Despite some lyrical passages (“Little Cloud looked again and saw a necklace of many colors stretching from her place in the sky to the valley”), the text sometimes feels heavy-handed; the conclusion, in contrast to the story's espousal of freedom, seems preordained. Ages 4–8.

January 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 3-When the biggest cloud calls all of the others together in order to "terrify the earth with storm and thunder," Little Cloud wanders away to a quiet place in the sky. She enjoys her freedom and longs to engage with such earthly delights as flowers and ocean waves. Lady Wind observes her dreams and carries her off, past the pursuing thunderclouds, the lightning, and the dark mountains. In the morning, they arrive at a place where Little Cloud can see a rainbow, dew falling from her garments, and mist, and she happily declares, "Now I see. I can be me "and" part of something too." Young readers will empathize with Little Cloud's desire to be independent and free from what is expected of her, and they will feel her happiness at finding a place where she can realize her dreams with the help of a nurturing figure. But the oft-told story is tired, and even Qualls's whimsical depictions of a cherubic little girl with cloud hair and a Thelonius Monk-channeling storm cloud can't freshen it. The message of Aesop's "The Bundle of Sticks," that there is "strength in unity"the fable that Morrison claims inspired this taleis lost on young readers."C. J. Connor, Campbell County Public Library, Cold Spring, KY"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2009
Grades 1-3 Most of Little Clouds peers want to gang up and terrify the earth with storm and thunder, but she craves individuality, and so she drifts away from the group mentality. Freedom is satisfying, but Little Cloud also feels lonely, and she yearns to be a part of the earth, rather than just float above it. Lady Wind understands her feelings and blows in to take her far from the dangerous thunderclouds and over the mountains and oceans to a place where Little Cloud merges with the earth at lastas dew, rainbows, and mist. In the process, she realizes that it is possible to maintain both connection and individuality: to be me and all of the things I dreamed of. Qualls acrylic, collage, and pencil illustrations suit the storys theme and changing moods wonderfully, anthropomorphizing the characters in a palette of blues, grays, purples, pinks, and oranges that is just right for the celestial dreams on the pages.Gentle and poetic, this tale will resonate with anyone who has been caught in the tempest of mean or unfriendly behavior, at a playground, school, or party.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)