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Cloud Babies
A story based on illustrator Chris Judge's family's experience with childhood illness.
Six-year-old Erin's favorite game is spotting animals in the clouds with her mom and dad—everything from fluffy foxes and polar bears to little rabbits. Even when Erin falls very ill and has to spend a long time in the hospital, she still manages to find joy in spying "cloud babies" through the window with her new hospital friends.
When the doctor tells Erin she can go home, she is so excited! But being back at school is not at all what she expected—so much has changed, and Erin must reconcile the safe realm she's just left with a world outside that has become unfamiliar. With Mom and Dad's love and wisdom, however, and with the help of her teacher and friends, Erin comes to see that by sharing her experience she can find happiness again in just being herself.
Six-year-old Erin's favorite game is spotting animals in the clouds with her mom and dad—everything from fluffy foxes and polar bears to little rabbits. Even when Erin falls very ill and has to spend a long time in the hospital, she still manages to find joy in spying "cloud babies" through the window with her new hospital friends.
When the doctor tells Erin she can go home, she is so excited! But being back at school is not at all what she expected—so much has changed, and Erin must reconcile the safe realm she's just left with a world outside that has become unfamiliar. With Mom and Dad's love and wisdom, however, and with the help of her teacher and friends, Erin comes to see that by sharing her experience she can find happiness again in just being herself.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2023
1 person is currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Eoin Colfer
155 books11.8k followersEoin Colfer (pronounced Owen) was born in Wexford on the South-East coast of Ireland in 1965, where he and his four brothers were brought up by his father and mother, who were both educators.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
He received his degree from Dublin University and began teaching primary school in Wexford. He has lived and worked all over the world, including Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Italy. After the publication of the Artemis Fowl novels, Eoin retired from teaching and now writes full time. He lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
July 18, 2023
Erin plays a game with her family to find shapes in the clouds. When she has to spend a long time in the hospital, she shares the game with her new friends, the doctors, nurses, and other child patients. Eventually Erin is allowed to return home and to school, and she teaches her cloud game to her classmates too. Erin still has to spend some time at the hospital though, and she feels torn between her two groups of friends. Maybe the clouds themselves can point the way to a sense of belonging!
This is such a sweet and thoughtful book! I really felt for Erin as she is dealing with such difficult circumstances. The story is emotional and deals with some tough feelings, but it is also hopeful and full of joy! It's really lovely to see how everyone gathers around Erin to support her.
The illustrations are so cute! I love how the clouds are outlined with shapes of funny animals. The art style is very cool since it combines photos of actual clouds with the illustrations.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
This is such a sweet and thoughtful book! I really felt for Erin as she is dealing with such difficult circumstances. The story is emotional and deals with some tough feelings, but it is also hopeful and full of joy! It's really lovely to see how everyone gathers around Erin to support her.
The illustrations are so cute! I love how the clouds are outlined with shapes of funny animals. The art style is very cool since it combines photos of actual clouds with the illustrations.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
March 16, 2023
This is an interesting and sweet children's book. My husband was really good at seeing animals in the clouds but not I. In Cloud Babies: Sometimes All We Need to Do Is Look Up a very young child an her father see animals - or rather Cloud Babies - when they are outside strolling along and looking up. This continues as the child grows.
One day the child becomes sick, sicker than ever before and has to go stay for an extended period in the hospital. While there, she and the other children learn to look up and see cloud babies.
Once she is well and leaves the hospital, she goes to school and makes new friends. These friends don't see or appreciate the experience of visualizing cloud babies. She becomes disgruntled, angry, sad, at a loss. The story continues to its joyful conclusion where her hospital friends and her school friends meet at the hospital, share books, and continue experiencing the joy of cloud babies.
A nice story that shares the different worlds of a children's hospital and the child's regular school.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
One day the child becomes sick, sicker than ever before and has to go stay for an extended period in the hospital. While there, she and the other children learn to look up and see cloud babies.
Once she is well and leaves the hospital, she goes to school and makes new friends. These friends don't see or appreciate the experience of visualizing cloud babies. She becomes disgruntled, angry, sad, at a loss. The story continues to its joyful conclusion where her hospital friends and her school friends meet at the hospital, share books, and continue experiencing the joy of cloud babies.
A nice story that shares the different worlds of a children's hospital and the child's regular school.
I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given.
November 19, 2022
This picture tale shows the magic of seeing cloud formations through whimsical eyes. However old or young you might be. Do we have to grow out of this fun? Maybe we have to grow out of some things, but not others.
This is good for kids from five up to about ten, and might be used as a teaching story about children who need medical care, or start a new school, or have a childish habit they need to discard (where others can see anyway). The writing is brief but some new terms are introduced, and names for dinosaurs and other creatures are good for teaching smaller children. Older kids probably will only read it once, but younger kids will come back to it for fun.
I read this at the Dublin Book Festival. This is an unbiased review.
This is good for kids from five up to about ten, and might be used as a teaching story about children who need medical care, or start a new school, or have a childish habit they need to discard (where others can see anyway). The writing is brief but some new terms are introduced, and names for dinosaurs and other creatures are good for teaching smaller children. Older kids probably will only read it once, but younger kids will come back to it for fun.
I read this at the Dublin Book Festival. This is an unbiased review.
June 7, 2023
I still love watching clouds. I used to love making cloud babies, but now I just love to watch them. This is a specific story about how we can all help children who need to be hospitalized for chunks of time. I struggle with this one because it seems like a small audience. Is it big enough to buy for my library? I have students who have had to be hospitalize, but mostly for mental health. And this is very different. The teacher doesn't understand what the main character is trying to tell her about cloud babies. And she (the teacher) biffs. That is tough. I think this is meant for a teacher to read aloud. I'm just not sure. The Hospital Book is another alternative. Maybe I could pair them for March Madness.
April 27, 2023
Tender look at how this young girl struggles to figure out who she is as she balances her time in the hospital and her time with her classmates. From the time she was a baby, she saw animals in the clouds. They became her cloud babies and kept her company as a family and while she was being treated in the hospital. As she got older, she struggles to figure out how she fits in with both sets of friends in her life. An interesting solution connects the two groups and her classmates and teacher see how important the Cloud Babies are.
May 3, 2023
This is a great book about a child who is hospitalized with a long term illness. The story doesn’t dwell on the illness itself, but rather on the child’s life and what kinds of activities bring joy in a hospital. But it also points out how life outside of the hospital and inside the hospital are different, and can make someone with a hospital life feel misunderstood.
I enjoyed it and so did my kids - it really made us think about hospital life.
I enjoyed it and so did my kids - it really made us think about hospital life.
November 3, 2023
This was a good book it's about a little girl who loves to find things in the clouds, but it's also about a little girl who gets sick and how she handles the changes. I had a hard time rating this book. I think the author did a good job at making it fun and giving some insight and hope to a difficult situation. I'm glad we read it. But it's probably not one we'll keep coming back to.
April 29, 2023
Erin absolutely loves her cloud babies and sharing them with her dad because it's usually something they can bond over. When she gets sick, Erin has to spend some time in the Children's Hospital. Even though they're apart, she and her dad can still see the same cloud babies. However, when it's time to leave and return to her normal class, the game of cloud babies seems too childish. Her school friends are very different from her hospital friends so Erin finds herself torn between the two. She must learn how to be friends with everyone while still doing the things she loves.
CLOUD BABIES is an emotional picture book about how hard it can be to have to stay in a hospital as a child. Not all children go through this, but it brings awareness to the ones that do. Inspiration is a powerful weapon to help someone get through hard times and that is exactly what Erin's Cloud Babies are to her. All she has to do is look up and there's a magical world waiting to be discovered. The illustrations are adorable and I love how black lines help children to see the animals in the way Erin does. In the back of the book, the author talks more about hospitalized children and how visitors can always help to brighten their day.
Final Verdict: I would recommend CLOUD BABIES to Children's hospitals, for those children who may have siblings that are sick, or just to raise awareness of different things others may be going through. It's a heart-warming story about searching for the good no matter how much bad surrounds you.
CLOUD BABIES is an emotional picture book about how hard it can be to have to stay in a hospital as a child. Not all children go through this, but it brings awareness to the ones that do. Inspiration is a powerful weapon to help someone get through hard times and that is exactly what Erin's Cloud Babies are to her. All she has to do is look up and there's a magical world waiting to be discovered. The illustrations are adorable and I love how black lines help children to see the animals in the way Erin does. In the back of the book, the author talks more about hospitalized children and how visitors can always help to brighten their day.
Final Verdict: I would recommend CLOUD BABIES to Children's hospitals, for those children who may have siblings that are sick, or just to raise awareness of different things others may be going through. It's a heart-warming story about searching for the good no matter how much bad surrounds you.
June 23, 2023
Erin loved to imagine animals in the shapes of clouds – “a fox who was late for school,” “a snappy-happy crocodile.” When she gets sick and has to spend time in the hospital, playing cloud babies with her dad is one of the few things they can enjoy doing together. Erin is finally able to leave the hospital. When she goes back to school, she tries to share the fun of cloud babies. But her class doesn’t seem to get it, and cloud babies loses its magic for Erin. She starts to notice that she feels different with her hospital friends versus her friends at school. When her teacher suggests that the class take a field trip to the hospital, everyone finally understands the magic of cloud babies.
This is a heartfelt look at how a child must balance the different worlds they inhabit when they have a chronic illness. I think the book is a useful perspective for kids who have a classmate who spends time in the hospital. Inviting digital art with photographic elements shows Erin’s hospital ward and school along with the cloud babies seen through the windows. The cloud babies are adorable, and I imagine that this book will prompt families to spend more time looking at the sky and imagining. Erin and her family have white skin; doctors, hospital staff, teachers and classmates are racially diverse.
Some thoughts: it’s hard to believe that sick kids in a hospital spend so much time playing. I also think that the text could have used a little paring down.
This is a heartfelt look at how a child must balance the different worlds they inhabit when they have a chronic illness. I think the book is a useful perspective for kids who have a classmate who spends time in the hospital. Inviting digital art with photographic elements shows Erin’s hospital ward and school along with the cloud babies seen through the windows. The cloud babies are adorable, and I imagine that this book will prompt families to spend more time looking at the sky and imagining. Erin and her family have white skin; doctors, hospital staff, teachers and classmates are racially diverse.
Some thoughts: it’s hard to believe that sick kids in a hospital spend so much time playing. I also think that the text could have used a little paring down.
October 12, 2023
Erin loves spotting animal shapes in the clouds with her family, she calls them cloud babies. When she becomes ill with cancer her window at the hospital becomes her only contact with the outside world. It is also consolation and allows her to connect with her fellow patients. As she transitions back to school, she feels she is in two worlds that don't understand the other, so her goal is to bring them together with her cloud babies.
The text and topic of this story are very important concepts in order to understand how a serious illness affects children. The story, written by award winning author Eoin Colfer, handles the seriousness of the topic in appropriate and understandable way for the audience level which would be 4-8 years of age. I appreciate way this story was crafted and told.
The artwork is a digital creation that includes real photographs of the sky and clouds. They are incorporated sometimes as a whole spread and sometimes they are the size of windows from inside the buildings. The original artwork is imposed over, and the clouds become what the children see in them. The merging of the two styles makes the book visually interesting and one that children will want to see at their own pace after the story is read with them.
I would recommend this book for purchase by school and public libraries.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
The text and topic of this story are very important concepts in order to understand how a serious illness affects children. The story, written by award winning author Eoin Colfer, handles the seriousness of the topic in appropriate and understandable way for the audience level which would be 4-8 years of age. I appreciate way this story was crafted and told.
The artwork is a digital creation that includes real photographs of the sky and clouds. They are incorporated sometimes as a whole spread and sometimes they are the size of windows from inside the buildings. The original artwork is imposed over, and the clouds become what the children see in them. The merging of the two styles makes the book visually interesting and one that children will want to see at their own pace after the story is read with them.
I would recommend this book for purchase by school and public libraries.
This book was provided by the publisher for professional review by SWON Libraries.
September 25, 2023
Sometimes when you are feeling down, all you need to do is look up!
Erin's first word was "cat" - because she saw a cloud that looked like a cat. It was her first cloud baby. From then on, the whole family looked for magical creatures in the clouds. It became a special activity filled with hope and magic. But one day, Eric was sick and had to go to the hospital. She stayed in the hospital for a long time - but cloud babies helped.
When she finally went back to school, everyone had changed. And she had a hard time making her hospital world and her school world fit together. They seemed like very different places. And cloud babies suddenly became baby-ish. Giving up the cloud babies made everyone a little sad, though. Finally Erin's mom had an idea that would bring her school friends and her hospital friends together. Of course it involved cloud babies!
This is a great book to read to help kids empathize with other kids that may have to miss school for an extended period of time or deal with chronic illness.
I thought everyone looked for animals in the clouds! Don't they? You can still understand the science behind clouds and appreciate the magic of finding a dragon, unicorn or buffalo floating above your head!
Erin's first word was "cat" - because she saw a cloud that looked like a cat. It was her first cloud baby. From then on, the whole family looked for magical creatures in the clouds. It became a special activity filled with hope and magic. But one day, Eric was sick and had to go to the hospital. She stayed in the hospital for a long time - but cloud babies helped.
When she finally went back to school, everyone had changed. And she had a hard time making her hospital world and her school world fit together. They seemed like very different places. And cloud babies suddenly became baby-ish. Giving up the cloud babies made everyone a little sad, though. Finally Erin's mom had an idea that would bring her school friends and her hospital friends together. Of course it involved cloud babies!
This is a great book to read to help kids empathize with other kids that may have to miss school for an extended period of time or deal with chronic illness.
I thought everyone looked for animals in the clouds! Don't they? You can still understand the science behind clouds and appreciate the magic of finding a dragon, unicorn or buffalo floating above your head!
November 21, 2023
Young Erin loves playing cloud babies with her parents. She would look at the sky and spot all kinds of animals in the clouds.
When Erin fell very poorly and had to spend a long time in hospital she would find happiness in looking out of the window and finding cloud babies. However, when she left the hospital her friends at school were all taller and felt older than her and she felt childish looking for cloud babies. She also felt like she didn’t fit in anymore.
Cloud Babies is a lovely, heart-warming story that will hopefully show the reader what it is like to have a serious illness that requires a child to be in hospital for a long time and how they feel when they are back with their peers. My youngest son was this child going between long stays in hospital and school and how sometimes they find it hard to feel part of their class as life carries on when they are not there and they miss so much.
The illustrations are wonderful. I presume the clouds are real photographs (they certainly look real) and then the author has added some landscape drawings and turned the clouds into animals.
Overall, Cloud Babies is such an enjoyable read. Hopefully, it might make the reader look to the sky and find their own cloud babies too.
When Erin fell very poorly and had to spend a long time in hospital she would find happiness in looking out of the window and finding cloud babies. However, when she left the hospital her friends at school were all taller and felt older than her and she felt childish looking for cloud babies. She also felt like she didn’t fit in anymore.
Cloud Babies is a lovely, heart-warming story that will hopefully show the reader what it is like to have a serious illness that requires a child to be in hospital for a long time and how they feel when they are back with their peers. My youngest son was this child going between long stays in hospital and school and how sometimes they find it hard to feel part of their class as life carries on when they are not there and they miss so much.
The illustrations are wonderful. I presume the clouds are real photographs (they certainly look real) and then the author has added some landscape drawings and turned the clouds into animals.
Overall, Cloud Babies is such an enjoyable read. Hopefully, it might make the reader look to the sky and find their own cloud babies too.
May 14, 2023
There is a letter from Eoin Colfer at the beginning explaining a bit about this story and how it is a good thing to try to understand when a child is spending a long time or several long times in the hospital. Chris Judge explains that his story's illustrations come from personal family experiences with illness. All her life, young Erin saw "pictures" in the clouds (I do, too!) and called them her "cloud babies". As a young girl, she became very ill and needed to be in the hospital for a long time. The children's ward actually was fun and all the kids played together and liked Erin's "cloud babies", too. But when she returned to school, she gave them up, deciding they were too babyish. She was sad and felt as if she didn't belong to either group. And, she missed those "cloud babies". What happens next shows a plan that helped Erin, and may help others understand what it's like to feel apart. It's a loving book that shows another point of view that's good to know!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!
April 27, 2023
This unique picture book is about a child who loves to see creatures in clouds, becomes ill, and spends time at the hospital, where her "cloud babies" become an even more meaningful part of her life. When she is well enough to return to school, she feels nervous about how her classmates have changed, and about how their lives are going on without her. Her struggles to balance her school life and her hospital life are realistic and moving, and the book's hopeful ending is encouraging without being too sentimental.
This book is great for families dealing with long hospital stays, and for friends and classmates of kids missing time in school due to a serious illness. This teaches kids about common hospital experiences without being too dark or scary, and it encourages empathy without being preachy. The focus on clouds helps give the book a lighter touch, and both little ones and elementary-aged kids will be able to relate to key experiences and themes.
This book is great for families dealing with long hospital stays, and for friends and classmates of kids missing time in school due to a serious illness. This teaches kids about common hospital experiences without being too dark or scary, and it encourages empathy without being preachy. The focus on clouds helps give the book a lighter touch, and both little ones and elementary-aged kids will be able to relate to key experiences and themes.
October 13, 2023
When Erin falls ill and has to go to the hospital, she is sad. She finds joy in searching the skies from her hospital window. She remembers watching for "cloud babies" with her parents and seeing fantastical things in the clouds. Each cloud looks like an animal and they are her cloud babies.
She shows the other sick kids how to find them. When Erin gets better, she is excited to be going home, but home and school are different than before. She's been gone so long, she feels she has nothing in common with the other kids. Through compassion and patience, her parents, her teacher and her classmates make Erin feel "at home."
Cloud Babies is an empathetic story of a sick child and how she handles her lengthy hospital stay. After missing months of school, it's difficult for a child to transition into the "normal."
Ages 4 and up.
October 26, 2023
"Sometimes when you're down, all you need is to look up"
Childhood innocence is something that sadly not all children will get to know and enjoy. Many of us look back on our childhood's and think, "Gosh, I'd love not to have so much responsibility as a grown up and go back to being little and looked after, with not a care in the world". Those of us are the lucky ones.
For some children, that innocence has to be carved out for them; oftentimes from a hospital bed in the children's ward.
I am utterly broken from this magical book, which made grown-up me appreciate how lucky little-me is, and wish for any littles of my own to be so lucky too. I hope this book reaches all of the children it could help search the sky for happy creatures, funny monsters or adventurous cats.
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
Childhood innocence is something that sadly not all children will get to know and enjoy. Many of us look back on our childhood's and think, "Gosh, I'd love not to have so much responsibility as a grown up and go back to being little and looked after, with not a care in the world". Those of us are the lucky ones.
For some children, that innocence has to be carved out for them; oftentimes from a hospital bed in the children's ward.
I am utterly broken from this magical book, which made grown-up me appreciate how lucky little-me is, and wish for any littles of my own to be so lucky too. I hope this book reaches all of the children it could help search the sky for happy creatures, funny monsters or adventurous cats.
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2023
"Sometimes, when you're down, all you need to do is look up."
Cloud Babies explores the difficult experience of children who spend a lot of time in hospitals. While my children haven't been through that, we've spent enough time in hospitals to relate to her story. It is empathetic and touching, while exploring a fun activity many children enjoy - making shapes or animals from clouds. The illustrations mix cartoons in the "real world" with real clouds for the outside world, beyond the hospital. It's a unique style and a clever choice. Very well done.
Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
Themes: chronically ill children, hospitals, school, friends
Cloud Babies explores the difficult experience of children who spend a lot of time in hospitals. While my children haven't been through that, we've spent enough time in hospitals to relate to her story. It is empathetic and touching, while exploring a fun activity many children enjoy - making shapes or animals from clouds. The illustrations mix cartoons in the "real world" with real clouds for the outside world, beyond the hospital. It's a unique style and a clever choice. Very well done.
Read as a nomination in the Fiction Picture Book book award category as a panelist for Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Awards (Cybils Awards).
Themes: chronically ill children, hospitals, school, friends
May 10, 2023
"Sometimes when you're down, all you need to do is look up."
Erin and her family love to spot animals in the clouds. They call them Cloud Babies. When Erin gets sick and needs to stay in the hospital for a while, the Cloud Babies are even comforting to her. But when she leaves the hospital and returns to school, things aren't quite the same. It seems all her school friends have grown taller and matured more. Maybe Cloud Babies are too babyish now. Because she is still having to go to the hospital for treatments, Erin feels torn between her two sets of friends. Maybe there is something the adults can do to help.
A gentle story with a great message.
Erin and her family love to spot animals in the clouds. They call them Cloud Babies. When Erin gets sick and needs to stay in the hospital for a while, the Cloud Babies are even comforting to her. But when she leaves the hospital and returns to school, things aren't quite the same. It seems all her school friends have grown taller and matured more. Maybe Cloud Babies are too babyish now. Because she is still having to go to the hospital for treatments, Erin feels torn between her two sets of friends. Maybe there is something the adults can do to help.
A gentle story with a great message.
December 31, 2024
This book is hard. It’s about a child that continuously spends a lot of time in the hospital. And how they feel going between the hospital and regular school. How they feel they have to keep things separate or be like other children and try to forget their hospital time. But the story is useful. First off, the note from the author in the beginning about hospital kids being a little different and needing the public to understand that things are different for them is lovely and tearjerking. In the story of the character finds that it’s OK to have different experiences. It also teaches others that you should be aware of those experiences and not afraid but willing to try new things.
October 22, 2025
A wee bit internet the book because the illustrator is A Daily Cloud on Instagram, Eoin tells the story of Chris Judge's family as his daughter goes in and out of the hospital, cheering herself up by seeing "Cloud Babies" in the sky shapes. While the people and places are illustrated, the backgrounds are actual photos of clouds with Judge's art on them. H loved pointing out what all the critters and people in the sky were. A nice story for children who have frequent doctors' visits or for their peers to understand, in addition to lovely cloud animals.
June 7, 2023
"Cloud Babies" is a lovely children's book about a child who is sick in the hospital and how her life in the hospital differs than the life her friends lead outside. While the story is heartwarming, the pictures are the best part of each page. Illustrator Chris Judge draws faces on soft clouds that help set the mood of the story. It's hard not to think of being a kid looking up at the clouds when reading this book. This book is a great example of windows and mirrors and would be fantastic for a school counselor.
July 26, 2023
“Cloud Babies Sometimes All We Need to Do is Look Up” feels like a miracle. Eoin Colfer & Chris Judge have written a book that acknowledges the “two world” feeling of kids who need frequent hospital visits. Judges’ combination of photographs and illustrations adds the depth of experience. And, a huge thank you goes to Candlewick Press for publishing it! Buy this book! Your collections (school, library, bookstore, and home) need it! “Cloud Babies” will help kids with medical challenges know that someone “gets” them and will help peers build empathy.
January 12, 2023
3.5/5 Based on the illustrators own life this story focuses on one little girl who loves to watch the clouds go by and spot different creatures in them, especially during her long hospital stays. A very relatable story for any young child who is trying to juggle their 'real' life (at school and home) and their 'hospital' life, I found it quite a sad but hopeful read. The cloud pictures are particularly enjoyable and I can definitely see myself using this as resource in a classroom in future.
April 27, 2023
Sweet and sad but also filled with hope and appreciation for life, this is the story of a child who visits the hospital frequently for her illness, and the ways she copes with the experiences of growing up and balancing school and hospital days. The illustrations of the "cloud babies"--magical creatures she imagines while looking at the clouds--are cute and creative. Who hasn't felt peace and happiness looking for shapes in the sky on a cloudy day?
April 28, 2023
Six year old Erin loves to find cloud babies in the sky, and visualizing various shapes. After Erin becomes ill, and spends several weeks in the hospital recovering, and returns to school, her world as she knew it has changed, and leaves Erin feeling like an outsider in between both her hospital friends and schoolmates. Using empathy, understanding, and imagination, Erin is able bring both worlds together.
August 10, 2023
I follow @adailycloud on Instagram and love his daily cloud illustration posts, so imaginative and fun! So when I saw this book, I was so excited! And of course, the whole book is full of more cloud babies in the skies of each page and they are amazing. The story itself is very heart touching as well and shows how something that seems so simple and basic can connect us with others and bring joy. (Also love Eoin Colfer, so this was just an all around treat haha).
August 11, 2023
As a bookseller I always try to have a book for every possible situation... A story about a child who spends a lot of time in hospital and back to home and school and back.... is a common situation but to the best of my knowledge no other book covers it. This one does so beautifully, with great characters, illustrations, love, and a bit of humor. I'd recommend this for kids IN the situation and helping kids gain empathy for others who might need to be in the hospital. Terrific!
March 3, 2025
This story about Erin who is a young girl who has been in the Hospital for an extended period of time. this is her journey going through going back to school after being sick and helping her friends and teacher at school understand more her life in the hospital. I would use this book if there was a child in my class who was having major health issues so that my other students could better understand how to support their friend.
April 16, 2023
Erin has always had a good imagination. When looking up at the clouds Erin sees animals in the clouds and she calls them cloud babies. Unfortunately, Erin has to spend a lot of time in the hospital but the cloud babies give her comfort until she feels she's too old for them. A thoughtful, comforting picture book about illness based on Chris Judge's family's experience.
June 9, 2023
What a great book! It's rare to read about children who have to spend time in the hospital, so I hope lots of kids are able to see themselves in this book, and that many more are able to support and empathize with friends and classmates who have to visit the hospital. Every school librarian should buy this one!
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