Cloudette

PreS-Gr 2—Can someone small make a BIG difference? This delightfully simple story of a small cloud who dreams of doing big things will resonate with children. Cloudette initially enjoys her status as the littlest cloud in the neighborhood, but a crisis brings out her best "brainstorm" efforts, and she pours out rain for the first time ever, benefiting a group of grateful frogs and becoming a "prodigious precipitation, pipsqueak!" Narration by Wendy Carter and others provide memorable character voices, and the animation is sweetly minimal, which makes an ideal accompaniment to the book. Original music by Jack Sundrud and Rusty Young get the mood and orchestration just right with a varied bluegrass background that includes banjo, guitar, bass, clarinet, and Jew's harp. The music changes as the story progresses, adding different instruments and increasing in tempo that perfectly interprets a gathering storm. Paired with excellent sound effects from frogs to waterfalls, the music makes this outstanding DVD and CD a win-win purchase. Added extras include useful Common Core Connections, an interview with author/illustrator Tom Lichtenheld, and helpful lesson ideas for teachers.—Lonna Pierce, MacArthur Elementary School, Binghamton, NY.