Once Upon a Cloud

January 12, 2015
Keane’s background as a visual development artist is on full display in her picture-book debut—her nighttime landscapes carry faint echoes of midcentury animation classics like Fantasia; unfortunately, they also look more like sketches and storyboard stills than fully rendered art. The story centers around a wide-eyed girl who can’t decide on the perfect gift for her mother. Pondering this quandary at bedtime, Celeste is whisked out the window on the breath of the wind, which Keane imagines as an elderly figure with a sweeping, curling beard. Celeste soon meets other celestial personae, dancing with princesslike stars who bedeck her with jewels, listening to stories told by the sleepy moon (his nightcap has an evocative crescentlike curve), and enjoying tea with the Sun, who resembles an ethereal cousin to Disney’s Cinderella. Keane’s wispy illustrations create alluring settings, but the underlying story falls short—the resolution, in which Celeste’s travels inspire her to gather flowers from a field as a gift, feels largely disconnected from her journey. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House.

April 1, 2015
Celeste ponders the perfect gift for her mother all day until bedtime, when "the Wind bl[ows] in and carrie[s] her away." The Wind takes her first to the Stars, who are "eagerly awaiting her arrival." The Stars are portrayed as wispy star clusters that form young women in full skirts floating in the sky. They bedeck her with sparkly shoes, necklace, and crown. Next she meets the Moon, a glowing, white-bearded old man who has "many stories to tell her." Soon the sky brightens from cool purples into glowing oranges to reveal the Sun. Celeste is warmed by the cup of tea she sips with the queenly Sun. As the Wind returns to take her home, she ponders her encounters and what the various beings have shared with her. Just before the Wind delivers her to her home, Celeste spots the perfect gift for her mother-a field of flowers that sparkle and glow, sure "to warm her mother's heart." Debut author Keane has worked for Disney, and her illustrations show the influence. Her choice to use dry pastels softens the dreamy scenes, which pair well with the story of a young girl on a quest. It feels rather like a polished storyboard, and Celeste's pink cheeks and cupid's-bow lips have a commercial appeal that completes the ready-for-animation look. Guaranteed to appeal to fans of Frozen and other princess tales. (Picture book. 4-7)

February 1, 2015

PreS-Gr 1-Disney animation artist Keane delivers her picture book debut with a cartoon fantasy awash in mostly pink and purple pastels . At bedtime, ethereal dreams take over Celeste's ponderings on the ideal gift for her mother. The wind carries her into the sky to star princesses and a castle. The moon tells her stories, and then the sun princess greets her at dawn with a cup of tea. The next morning, inspired by her travels, Celeste gathers flowers that sparkle like stars and blossoms that glow like the moon, then ties them with a red hair ribbon, to provide her mother the perfect present. VERDICT Fairy fans will be pleased with this modest tale.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

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