Neatly constructed and nicely pitched, the message of self-reliance comes through as clear as a cloudless day. That Cloudette is neither bullied nor intimidated is an important point she's the one who feels she has a special gift to give, and she solves her problem independently. Cloudette eventually finds a fine place to rain and gathers a raft of admiring comments. "Sorry, it's all done by machines," explains a man outside a marvelously retro car wash. Sprinkled with punny jokes, Lichtenheld's polished spreads show Cloudette as a simple, scalloped-edged puff who looks mighty dejected as she tries to be useful. This charming book gets at the heart of what it means to make a difference no matter your size. It's not that she isn't popular with the larger clouds-"Everybody called her cute little names"-but that she wants to do things like "make a waterfall fall," things that are "big and important." And bigger clouds have a monopoly on creating storms, watering crops, and replenishing rivers. Train, turns in a quieter story about a small cloud and her search for a place to fit in (if the scenario recalls 2007's The Police Cloud, rest assured Cloudette stands on her own). If you're a little cloud like Cloudette, people call you cute nicknames, and you can always find a good spot t. Lichtenheld, the illustrator of Shark vs. Sometimes being small can have its advantages.
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