The Cloud Diary

by Tony Gilbert, Philip Howell (Illustrator)

Librarian Note: This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN B00AH2LGWC.

This is the story of a boy and his cloud.

Genres: Short Stories

17 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2013

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tony Gilbert's The Cloud Diary we come to hear a six-year old boy's stream of consciousness regarding a cloud entering his life- this is discerned as becoming friends with the cloud through the means that imaginary friends are always made. The cloud isn't just here to listen but to be tangible and steadfast. It's a direct, stunningly sweet story of a boy gaining knowledge on a confusing world through quite a period of time and it captures you from the words 'I saw a cloud'. I think that even though its a lengthy amount of time it doesn't seem like it but still is quite moving. The lasting impression I gained was that rain isn't bad... It shows us that a soul understands. I think children will understand the morals!

Reviewed on my book blog here

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and touching story that captures the innocent mindset of a young boy going through a difficult and confusing time exquisitely. The writing is wonderfully simple with not an unconsidered word - would thoroughly recommend.

[A Rambling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad I had the chance to read this Amazing Children's Short Story! This Book was written so beautifully and imaginatively it brought tears to my eyes. It is about a little boy who had lost his Mother, and was getting ready to lose his Father as well. His teen-aged Sister and her boyfriend have to take over his care while his Father is sick. The great part about this is that the boy's Mother finds him in the form of a cloud during this time. The "cloud" is always comforting him and singing his favorite lullaby when he is sad or upset. The "cloud" also explains to him why his Father acts the way he does toward him. Which is because he looks like his Mother, who his Father misses terribly. To top it off, the Father is dying of a "broken heart"! At the end of this book, when the boy and his Father have their last talk, and it stops raining and the "cloud" shows up...well, lets just say it brought tears to my eyes!
This book would be a perfect read for a child who is dealing with loss, bless their hearts. But, it can be a great lesson for any child, really. You never know what could happen, unfortunately. I enjoyed reading this and do plan on reading it with my 3 older children as well (aged 6, 10, and 14). I highly recommend this to a child of any age, loss or no loss.
The best part about this, is an entire FIFTY PERCENT of the profits go to Winston's Wish-The Charity for Bereaved Children. That is a generous donation and such a great cause! Winston's Wish is a Registered Charity (England and Wales) 1061359, (Scotland) SC041140.
"Winston's Wish now in its 20th anniversary year helps children rebuild their lives after the death of a parent or sibling, enabling them to face the future with confidence and hope. We are the largest provider of childhood bereavement services in the UK and offer the widest range of practical support and guidance to children, families, professionals and anyone concerned about a bereaved child. We know from experience that the right support offered at the right time can have a life-changing impact on bereaved children and young people. For more information please visit http://www.winstonswish.org.uk Helpline number 08452 03 04 05"

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully simplistic and understated this delicate, meaningful story speaks to the heart.

Moving and acutely sensitive this delightful little short story is full of warmth, understanding and truth. Focusing on the difficult subject of bereavement and how a young child copes with the tragic loss of a parent, the author reaches out with empathy and compassion through the powerful writing. Filling one with a sense of closure and optimism for the continuation of life, I would highly recommend this story to all children who find themselves in this situation. With fifty percent of the profits going to “Winston’s Wish” charity, I commend the author for producing something so lovely and appropriate. One follows the story of a young boy, whose mother has passed away and his ‘cloud’ that helps him come to terms with her death. For any adult coming to an awareness in ones consciousness that a person (or in this case parent) has passed on is difficult, let alone for a young child who is guided and nurtured even more so by their parents. This strong bond is one of the most significant within our lives, and so helping a child to face their future with confidence and hope is of such great importance.

“I caught a cloud the other day…”

Profoundly meaningful and thought-provoking I adored how sublime simplicity combined with thoughtful narrative, made this children’s story so consequential. Full of substance and as delicate as poetry; as you capture the connotation and light nuance behind each and every word that professes heartfelt, genuine sincerity. Exquisite imagery (i.e. bashing against the box – remicent of captured Butterflies with their beating wings), makes this story all the more reminiscent.

*I was sent an e-copy of “The Cloud Diary” by Tony Gilbert to read and review. I would like to thank the author for this opportunity*

[Regina Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect when I began reading this little story, The Cloud Diary. It's told from a child's point of view about dealing with the death of his mother. It's very sad and touching. Children usually only receive the barest amount of information any time something bad happens, so now not only are they grieving from losing someone they had loved very much, they are also confused by the current situations and events that are taking place around them.

I would highly recommend this story to anyone going through the death of a family member. I think it could do some good for both children and adults.

[S.M. Hineline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story itself is simply written and beautiful. A little boy has lost his mother, and now finds his father pulling away. Loosing a parent can be a difficult thing to deal with, and this story not only does a fantastic job of giving voice to that pain, but also helps raise money to help children in dealing with that loss. A book worth reading and sharing.

[Elgon Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cloud Diary by Tony Gilbert (Illustrated by Philip Howell) is a short children’s story told in first person that conveys the thoughts of a young child and the emotion of a bereaved family as seen through the child’s eyes. It’s use of language and sentence structure is compelling and appropriate for young readers affording an easily understood, clear compassionate story. It recommend it as an excellent read for a child or an adult with a young child to better grasp what it feels like.

The story offers hope through the recurrent imagery of a cloud that becomes the child’s friend and frequent companion with whom the child enjoys songs and often sings along. Also the child is also comforted with dreams of the concerned mother who has passed away and through relating those experiences offers comfort to the father.

For any anyone going through a similar difficult time with a young child in bereavement or a child with a friend who is struggling to understand the loss of a loved one, The Cloud Diary will help. Fifty percent of the profits go to Winston’s Wish, a charity for bereaved children.

Elgon Williams

[Lynne North · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story that sets out to help raise money for a worthy charity is both well written and effective in its simplicity. Written from the point of view of a young boy who has lost his mother, it is a sad and poignant tale that brings home the deep sense of loss felt by the death of a parent. This is a tragic experience for any age, but for one so young is a life changing experience. The author visualises the confusion of trying to cope and at the same time to help the remaining parent. An insurmountable task for a six year old who has enough trouble attempting to come to terms with the loss himself. The child is trying desperately to hang onto his mother in the life that is still going on around him, sad, but heartwarming. Well worth a read.

[Lauren Mccallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is a wonderful way of exploring how a child can see a situation and how far their imagination can stretch, especially when dealing with grief. I also really enjoyed the whole idea of 'the cloud' because it seemed to be how the main character expressed himself.
I would strongly recommend this to children/anyone who is dealing with grief or anyone who just wants a quick, light read.
My only wish with the story is that it was written as a novel or even a short novella to allow more development of characters and plot which would have made it affect after reading it even stronger.
All in all though, a very enjoyable light read and buy making a purchase you are making a donation to Winston's Wish - a very worthwhile cause to support.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

(First reviewed in Amazon.com)

This is a story written by a fellow F2K-er and 50% of the profits go to Winston's Wish - an organisation in the UK that helps children rebuild their lives after the death of a parent or sibling. So it was literally a no-brainer for me to purchase it.

Truthfully, I didn't know what to expect from this story in the beginning. Normally, story titles function as hints but 'The Cloud Diary' - it was slightly vague. Perhaps even intentionally so.

But when I started, I was hooked. A story about a 6 year old who `adopts' a cloud. Or perhaps the cloud `adopts' the 6 year old.

The story, told from the POV of the 6 year old, is utterly, utterly heartwarming and I was both joyful and sad as I read it. It ended far too soon and I wanted more.

A wonderful read.

[Yianna Yiannacou · Rating 4 out of 5]

This free short story was actually very sweet. I knew it was going to be a short one so I squeezed it in between books.

It is about a little boy (the book is in his perspective) and he finds a cloud. His dad is going through depression ever since his wife died and the kid’s sister has been taking care of him. The cloud is sort of represented as an imaginary friend that sings to him when it is around. Even though this is a short story, it touched me deeply and I found myself wanting to comfort the confused little boy. He just wants his father’s love. So sweet. Definite recommendation. It took me not even five minutes to read.

[OrchardBookClub · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cloud Diary is a poignant short story told from the point of view of a small boy. This tale of familial loss told through the eyes of a small child after befriending a cloud is heart rendering. Albeit a short read, it was not lacking on substance. The way the boy frequently gets sidetracked into another story reminds me of my own little boy. While centering around a sad story, I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a truly touching read. I am honored to have gotten to review it.

~ Crystal

[Sharon Atkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short light read was beautifully written. Heart breaking, yet beautiful. You can hear the voice of the 6yr old little boy telling the story, and feel his upset and worry through his innocence.

A warning should come with this story, never read it in a public place, on a train in rush hour, without tissues to hand, unless you want to be stared at by onlookers. Believe me, tissues will definitely be needed.

A highly recommended read and on an even higher plus, 50% of the profits go to the charity Winston's Wish.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Cloud Diary" by Tony Gilbert is a moving short story about a young boy dealing with loss and grief. The cloud is his companion through this period.
The story is moving, brave and tackles an important issue in a clever way. I think this beautiful short might help children and parents to talk about grief, death and loss together.
A delicate matter handled very well.

[A.R. Voss · Rating 4 out of 5]

A simple yet heartwarming tale of a child and his lost mother returned to him, and his coping of the loss along with his father's battle of coming to terms. Sweet and simple with great use of metaphors.

[Amalie Jahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cloud Diary is a lovely short that would be perfect to share with a child who is dealing with loss. A wonderful icebreaker that would set the stage for a meaningful discussion about feelings. Very clever.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very heartfelt!! The cloud diary touched home with me due to losing my father when my sister was only five years old!!! Good job!! Loved it!! I am so glad I won this in goodreads!

[Elias Zapple · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cloud Diary brought a tear to my eye. Very moving and heartfelt, told from the perspective of a boy who's lost his mother and is not only grieving himself but witnessing his father's breakdown. It's very well-written with appropriate illustrations throughout. I would highly recommend this to anybody who knows a child going through a similar experience.

[Jennifer Jimmerson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a sad short, short story of a child who has lost one parent to cancer, and the other is living but lost in grief.