A cloud in a jar

Firelight Bay's always sunny and summery, but what it doesn't have is rain--and the fun it can bring, from puddle jumping to rainbows. Across the sea, Lou Dozens hopes to change that, recruiting her somewhat apprehensive pal and his rowboat to deliver, literally, a "cloud in a jar." The journey is fraught with challenges, though ever-intrepid Lou has a solution for each--sometimes literally up her sleeve, like handkerchiefs she makes into a sail, or cobbled together, like the net made of lost cellphone chargers that helps bring a beached whale back into the sea. However, further hurdles arise, and the boy solves the problem with the cloud, their intended gift. Will the trip be a bust? Told in dense verses, the boy's animated account of the adventures is engrossing and depicted in the immersive, vibrantly detailed illustrations, containing whimsical scenes, rushing motions, and saturated color. While the sometimes rhythmically complex rhyme scheme may occasionally hamper reading flow, this fanciful tale offers much to engage and entertain.

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. (Picture book. 5-9) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.