Cloud Babies

We loved reading this book with our 5 year old. Fortunately, we don't have hospital days any more but it dealt with the topic so sensitively and she really saw herself represented in the story. When Erin was smaller than her classmates, she got very excited and said, "Mummy, that's just like me. Everybody is taller than me in my class." A brilliant book if your child has a long-term illness or if a child in their class does.

Young Erin loves playing cloud babies with her parents. She would look at the sky and spot all kinds of animals in the clouds.When Erin fell very poorly and had to spend a long time in hospital she would find happiness in looking out of the window and finding cloud babies. However, when she left the hospital her friends at school were all taller and felt older than her and she felt childish looking for cloud babies. She also felt like she didn’t fit in anymore.Cloud Babies is a lovely, heart-warming story that will hopefully show the reader what it is like to have a serious illness that requires a child to be in hospital for a long time and how they feel when they are back with their peers. My youngest son was this child going between long stays in hospital and school and how sometimes they find it hard to feel part of their class as life carries on when they are not there and they miss so much.The illustrations are wonderful. I presume the clouds are real photographs (they certainly look real) and then the author has added some landscape drawings and turned the clouds into animals.Overall, Cloud Babies is such an enjoyable read. Hopefully, it might make the reader look to the sky and find their own cloud babies too.*I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily reviewed

Having a vivid imagination is always helpful in times of stress and discomfort from the harshness that life can sometimes bring. Children have the gift of having such great imaginations and it is wonderful to see a book like this that explores the minds of a child and encourages this as well.Erin is a six year old girl who lives with her parents. She becomes ill and spends time in hospital. She has always enjoyed using her imagination and creating different animals by looking at the clouds. The illustrations are very nice and the story is about friendship and being caring to others.I enjoyed this book and love the message that it sends. I received this book directly from the publishers.

Sweet enough when Erin is enjoying seeing animals in the clouds. But this story takes a turn when Erin needs to stay in hospital for an undisclosed illness. And things become more moving still when she's back at school and torn between growing up with her schoolfriends and staying happy and innocent when she returns to hospital.Can Erin find some balance?Loved the combination of cloud pictures with child additions of eyes and animal parts, it was wonderful. What child doesn't try to spot objects and animals up there?It's a moving story about children getting sick and trying to find joy and shared experiences where they can.Uplifting and a great story to help children empathise.For ages 5-10.With thanks to Walker Books for providing a sample reading copy.

Ever since she was very young Erin loved playing the cloud game, looking up into the sky and spotting all the different clouds and their shapes, that look like all sorts of creatures and calling them Cloud Babies. Erin loves playing the game with her dad, and when she gets sick and has to spend a long time in hospital, her Cloud Babies keep her company. But when Erin finally goes back home and to school, nobody seems interested in Erin's Cloud Babies and soon she starts to lose interest in them too. Frustrated and upset, is there anything that will bring Erin back to looking at her Cloud Babies again? The paperback is bigger than A4 in size and is filled with thick glossy pages of illustrations and text. There is also some embossing on the cover.I do like this book which begins with an introduction by the author, a good thing to read whether the child is one who is stuck in hospital or one who isn't. The story then begins with Erin spotting her first Cloud Baby when she was very young. I think most of us growing up at some point have played the cloud game, seeing the different and strange shapes the clouds often seem to make and I like how such a simple game helps Erin after she gets sick too. The book shows Erin in hospital, playing the cloud game. However later when she goes back home and to school she struggles with her dual life of being among the 'normal' kids at school while also enjoying her time with her hospital friends.Having been stuck for a few weeks in hospital as a child, though not for as long as Erin, I know how difficult it can be to cope once you have left hospital and try to get on with normal life again while still having to have regular visits back. The story in this book is based on what happened to the illustrator's family, and I like how this sensitive topic has been shown both in the story and pictures. While Erin is struggling and starts to ignore the clouds when she's back at school, I like how we see them always in every picture i nthe background, and how eventually she manages to bring her two worlds together in a lovely way.The illustrations are very fun to look at and I love the way a mix of media has been used. There are illustrations of Erin and the other characters in the story, but a lot of the backgrounds including the sky in the pictures is made of photographs. These photos of the sky show you real clouds, and I like how the illustrator has managed to turn each of the clouds into an animal or creature of some kind. I love the way all the characters look too, their expressions can be seen well and I like all the colours and details of the pictures, especially some of the images like the hospital ward or school where there's a lot to see in each picture. Another additional thing that makes me love the illustrations all the more is that all the pictures in the story that look like pictures that children have painted or drawn (seen in the school for example) are drawn by what I explained to be the illustrators own children. This is a lovely detail that makes this book feel more special, given that it is based on the illustrators experiences.Overall this is a lovely book and I do love the way all the Cloud Babies look and how there are more to spot on the end pages of the book too. The story does end well, although I do feel that the story had a bit of a flatter ending than I expected. Being about a child stuck in hospital and the difficulties of how to cope after coming back home, I do think this is a good book for families going through something similar, or for children who might know someone going through long-term hospital treatment, to help discuss the issue and to find a fun game to cope when times get tough. It's a nice book overall, but just had a bit of a flatter ending than I expected.-Thanks to Walker Books for a free copy.

I got this book to read to my 4 year old at bedtime and we both loved it.It is made to a very high standard, beautifully illustrated and has an engaging storyline. I found the book perfect for bedtime reading as the whole book can be read without being too long or short, just right. All in all, very different to the usual childrens books and makes a refreshing change. Would definitely buy from the author again if another book were published.