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I'll Never See That Cloud Again: The Boy's First Adventure
Daniel Leigh-Brown, author
Children/Young Adult; Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror; (Market)
"The boy sat at his window wondering how tall he'd be if his head was really in the clouds like Mum said at tea."
And so, harnessing the power of those daydreams, the boy concocts a spectacular plan that takes him out into a beautiful big world, up among the clouds and within touching distance of some very familiar stories.
With glorious artwork from Chilean illustrator Felipe Luna Lira, 'I'll Never See That Cloud Again' is Book One in the boy's astonishing adventures. It lays the foundations of his escape from an increasingly wretched life, and is the first step towards discovering his true destiny.
A story of childhood innocence, a wild imagination and the wonders of Mother Nature. A picture book for kids of all ages.
Reviews
A contemplative boy gets an up-close look at the wonders of the sky in this first book in a planned series from British writer Leigh-Brown. Dismissed as “dim” by his stepfather, the unnamed boy magically assembles a towering structure of objects and buildings that lets him ascend into the heavens: “He scrambled up his toy box, wardrobe, Dad’s grandfather clock,/ the car, the shed, the house, the school, his Auntie’s office block.” From there, he hitches a ride on a passing dirigible, watching as ever-changing clouds take the shapes of various animals and objects, followed by the light shows of sunset and a glowing aurora. The meter of Leigh-Brown’s verse is solid, though the rhymes have a tendency to become convoluted or repetitive (“The next cloud looked enormous like a monstrous giant whale”). But Chilean artist Lira’s dramatic vistas more than compensate, bringing the boy’s journey to vivid, cinematic life. Is it an imaginary journey or a magical one? Either way, it shows how children can find some solace when their families fall short. Ages 4–8. (BookLife)
