“Cloud Country” by Bonny Becker & Noah Klocek. (Book Review)

Dolly and I have looked up in the sky and cloud-gazed many times, but haven’t thought about the clouds gazing back at us! Now we know they do! Gale is a little girl cloud with is drifting off, her mind floating on by and Earth gazing. Gale should be practicing making cloud shapes for formation school graduation day, where the young Cloudlets show the Guardians what cloud shapes they can make. The Guardians are looking for Cloudlets who can make themselves into cumulus cloud, stratus cloud, cirrus clouds, and other real cloud shapes. But Gale thinks happy, puffy, floaty cloud thoughts, her mind drifts and she creates lambs and tugboats, mountains and bears and frogs! Gales becomes so frustrated when it’s time for her to create real clouds for The Guardians that she starts to rain. Will Gale’s very different daydream clouds be rewarded by the Guardians so she can graduate?!

“Cloud Country” is a truly beautiful book written by Bonny Becker, based off the imagination and illustrations of Noah Klocek, a Pixar Animation Studios Artist . The collaboration between the two is a winning combination, as the story itself is beautiful and the concept totally unique. The flowy, breezy landscape of Cloud Country and it’s inhabitants will have you cloud-gazing, without ever having to step outside. As a scientist, I appreciate the reference to gale force winds (very strong winds). I would say this Heroine may not have enough confidence in herself to be as strong as her name initially, but after validation from the Guardians, and with her supportive Mother and little brother, she will definitely be a (Gale) force to be reckoned with in the future! Having the special talent to create something different than the others should always be celebrated and rewarded! The next time Dolly and I lie in the grass and gaze up at the clouds, we will look up in Cloud Country for Gale and all the shapes she is forming for us!

You can watch the creation of this book from sketchbook to finish at http://imageblock.com/ or see more from author Bonny Becker here: https://booksaroundthetable.wordpress.com/2015/11/08/my-head-in-the-clouds/#comments

Title: Cloud Country
Author: Noah Klocek
Publisher: Disney Hyperion / Pixar Artist Showcase