A CLOUD IN A JAR

A rousing nautical adventure.

Brown-skinned Lou and her nameless, pale-skinned friend—the book’s narrator—head out in a rowboat for Firelight Bay, where kids have never seen rain. To demonstrate the joys of water—rainbows, puddles—the pair are bringing along a “cloud in a jar.” A gale arises. Lou says, “This is a job—for a SAIL,” and fashions one from handkerchiefs pulled from her sleeve. The storm-damaged boat whips through the waves, landing on a shore where a beached whale lies. Announcing, “This is a job—for a NET,” Lou devises one from phone chargers extracted from her coat. Slipping into this contraption, the whale speeds the kids onward, but a swarm of razorbills threatens. Lou’s pal intones, “This is a job—for a CLOUD.” Releasing it from the jar, the narrator scatters the birds, but the whole crew tumbles underwater. As they emerge on Firelight Bay, Lou’s companion believes they’ve failed now that the cloud is gone. But as it turns out, they’ve found a way to bring rain to the people. This imaginative, sea shanty–like tale is narrated in quatrains, employing the ABBA rhyme scheme, each one concluding with a couplet with the rhyme scheme BA; these rollicking verses, packed with bold action verbs, mostly scan well and echo rocking-boat rhythms. Vivid mixed-media illustrations feature blue shades, suiting the watery, nighttime settings. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Ahoy, mateys! Poetic, sea-going fun.