Happy April! Dr. Toughlove reviewed Partly Cloudy, a book about clouds! After all, April Showers bring May flowers! Enjoy!
Have you ever heard the expression, “April showers bring May flowers?” Well, even if you haven’t, you may know that showers are caused by cloud water falling down to earth in the form of raindrops. And you may also know that there are many different kinds of clouds. But do you know what they are called? Those of us who live on the Eastern Shore in Maryland are very familiar with seeing a big sky and lots of different clouds. So, Dr. Toughlove thought that in honor of April and showers, she would review a wonderful, whimsical book entitled “Partly Cloudy”, written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman.
This non-fiction book uses humor and beautiful illustrations to educate the reader about the 10 most common clouds. Each page begins with a very talkative rabbit describing what it sees when it looks at clouds (“Look at that one! Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!” The scholarly rabbit replies, “Those are cirrus clouds and they are basically a lot of microscopic ice crystals.” p. 6).
Many school districts are educating their students using an approach called STEAM that integrates Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. “Partly Cloudy” does an excellent job of supporting STEAM in an age-appropriate, engaging way. The two main characters take turns describing what they see in the sky in every day terms (‘Cotton balls”, p. 8) and technical terms (“Altocumulus” p. 8). Children (and probably adults as well) can learn the scientific words for what they see in the sky, which can be interesting and empowering for young children.
Dr. Toughlove always loves books that have beautiful illustrations, and “Partly Cloudy” does an outstanding job in that regard. The contrast of the blue sky and the beautifully drawn clouds is very visually pleasing. The sub-titles at the bottom of the page provide more age-appropriate information. In the back of the book the ten most common clouds are reviewed. In addition, there is a visual illustration of the earth’s water cycle and selected resources for kids. If you go to DeborahFreedman.net there is an array of information and follow-up activities that are not included in the book. If a youngster expresses interest in this topic, there is a plethora of information available for future use.
“Partly Cloudy” is a delightful book that is recommended for youngsters aged 4-8, and can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. It can be found at your local library.