The Cloud Spinner

One small boy has a special gift—he can weave cloth from the clouds: gold in the early morning with the rising sun, white in the afternoon, and crimson in the evening. He spins just enough cloth for a warm scarf. But when the king sees the boy's magnificent cloth, he demands cloaks and gowns galore. "It would not be wise," the boy protests. "Your majesty does not need them!" But spin he must—and soon the world around him begins to change.

From author Michael Catchpool and illustrator Alison Jay comes a magical tale about the beauty and fragility of our natural world, and the wisdom and courage needed to protect it.

Amazon Best Books of the Month for Kids, March 2012: Gold, white, and crimson clouds, and the fine clothes spun from them, are as beautiful as you might imagine thanks to the illustrative magic of Alison Jay. Jay’s signature style adds a treasure trove of details to the pages of The Cloud Spinner, yielding new discoveries with every read. There is a bit of The Lorax and The Emperor’s New Clothes in Michael Catchpool’s elegant message and adults will appreciate the concept of conserving nature’s resources, while kids are sure to notice that it’s the wisdom of children that ultimately gives rise to change. --Seira Wilson