A boy has a magical power to weave clothing out of the clouds. The greedy King is quite jealous and demands he make him scarves, robes and gowns. The boy uses up all the clouds in the sky and no more rain falls. The princess sneaks the garments out at night and the boy returns them to the sky. The crops are saved when rain falls again. This is a great book in fairy tale form to teach about the environment and conservation. The illustrations are interesting because they appear to be aged and cracked, like a fresco in an old chapel. ( )

I thought that this book was very interesting and entertaining to read. The plot of this book is well organized, following a clear story and conflict. Catchpool did a great job of developing the characters so that they fit into their roles in the plot/conflict. For example, it is explained that the boy weaving cloth from the clouds was taught to only take what was needed from the clouds and not a stitch more. This is an important part of the character because it justifies his hesitation to weave the King clothes when demanded to. The plot of this book also flows naturally into the bigger picture and moral of the story; to only take what is needed, do not succumb to greed. ( )

I enjoyed reading this book. I didn't know what it was going to be about or how elaborate the story was going to be, so I was pleasantly surprised after reading. I think that this book is suitable for 1st and 2nd graders.

I thought that the story was very good and not to hard for students to grasp. There wasn't a lot of large vocabulary words, but it also wasn't filled with simple sentences. I liked it because it also makes students think about their own lives and how they decide between making right/wrong choices. I say this because in the book, this young boy is able to turn the clouds into soft material to turn into a few articles of clothing. He wears his cloud scarf to town when the king requests that he make him a cloud scarf as well. The young boy tells the king that his mother told him to only use what he needed and no more than that, but the king insisted, so the young boy made the scarf. Then the king becomes very greedy and requests he makes gowns and cloaks for him and his royal family. The boy is hesitant again, remembering what his mother taught him, but in the end makes all of the clothes and uses up all the clouds in the sky. After he uses all the clouds, he knows that he made a wrong choice and shouldn't have listened to the king. So after hearing this story, students might feel challenged to think about their life and what kinds of choices they make when faced with demands and pressure. I also like the story because of the main message with I think had to do with not being greedy/making the right choices. After the young boy uses up all the clouds, the princess notices the harm that is coming to the kingdom due to her father's greediness. So she decides to take all the cloaks and gowns back to the young boy to see if he can fix the problem. She understands that it was wrong of her father to be so greedy and wants to reconcile for it. After finishing the book, I felt that the reader would reflect on their life and think about things they may be unnecessarily greedy about, like maybe a child wanting every toy to themselves and never sharing or donating any toys to other children. But again, overall enjoyed the story and illustrations. ( )

The Cloud Spinner tells the story of a young boy who can weave cloth from the clouds. He would spin them different colors as the day moved from morning to afternoon to evening. One day, a king demands that he makes him a scarf, and then a cloak and dresses. However, this uses up the clouds and the land becomes dry to the lack of rain. The princess sneaks the young boy the clouds back, and he puts the clouds back in the sky, bringing the rain back.

The illustrations were made with alkyd paint and crackle varnish on think cartridge paper.

GENRE: Fairy Tale (it contains a magical character who can weave cloth from the clouds) and some fable elements although the moral is not explicitly stated.

USES:
- discuss consequences of greed
- connect to a science study about clouds and the water cycle

43 months - this is very much a short fairytale or fable that is beautifully illustrated. ( )