My Pet Cloud

by Amanda Rawson Hill

Max wants a pet, and a pet cloud seems way better than a cat, dog or fish. A cloud is clean, quiet and doesn't shed fur. How hard could it be to take care of a fluffy cloud? Author Amanda Rawson Hill subtly blends lessons on responsibility, problem solving and friendship with lots of humour for a unique approach to the typical pet story. The added science element provides the perfect combination of learning and fun in a picture book illustrated by Laia Arriols.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Science

32 pages, Paperback

Published October 13, 2022

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Children's Book that I read to my twin boys. This book makes learning science/about clouds fun. My boys loved the pictures in this book, and they laughed a lot while I was reading this book. I think some of the science like the cloud names went over their heads, but the book kept them listening and wanting to keep reading. They loved reading the words like Zap. The pictures was so cute, and they pulled the kids into the story. I think this book would be great for k to 2nd, and it would be really great to read to kids when they are learning about clouds. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Capstone Editions) or author (Amanda Rawson Hill) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's fluffy. It's sad. It's cute. It's informative!

I find the concept quite fascinating for a storybook.

I love clouds. And I do love pets.

The story focuses on the unexpected events that would follow after adopting a pet. It teaches how to take responsibility.

Love the illustrations so much!

Such a precious book.

Thank you author/artist and the publisher for the advance reading copy.

[Srivalli Hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2 Stars

My Pet Cloud is a cute book about Max who finds a stray cloud and adopts it as his pet. Since his mom says no to have regular pets due to her allergies, Max delights in having Fluffy, the cloud, as his new pet.

However, taking care of a cloud is not easy, and Max learns it the hard way. He then decides to learn how to care for Fluffy, and soon, his mom realizes how good it is to have a cloud at home.

But a sudden thunderstorm separates them, and Max is sad again. No amount of searching across the lands helps them. Will Max ever find Fluffy again?

Since it’s a kiddo book, you can easily guess what happens at the end. The storyline is interesting, and so is the presentation. The illustrations looked soft but slightly dull to me. While the expressions and moods were perfect, the overall color scheme wasn’t vibrant as I thought. The illustrations are on the same lines as the cover picture.

The best part of the book is those cute adoption cards for different types of clouds. It’s a great way to teach kids about clouds.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Capstone Editions and am voluntarily leaving a review.
#MyPetCloud #NetGalley

[Ms. B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can you ever have too many pet stories? Could a cloud be the perfect pet? For those who are looking for the unique or the unusual, this picture book about Max who adopts a cloud could be perfect!
Give this to fans of The Best Pet of All or Sparky!.

[Raegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I received this book for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Distinctive, adorable, and informative!

This book contains lots of cute illustrations. It teaches kids there are different kinds of clouds for different reasons. And that once you have a pet, there are a lot of new responsibilities. This would make a fun gift!

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming story of friendship, love and family. Who knew having a pet cloud would be so much fun. When Max adopts a cloud named Fluffy, he is introduced to a world full of fun and friendship. When having a pet cloud was a lot of work and when a storm blows fluffy away, Max and his mother look for him.

Can they find him?


Beautifully illustrated and a perfect book for bedtime story. I'm so glad that I read this wonderful book.

[Cassie]

There are SO many "I want a pet but my parents won't let me" books but this one is great and very unique! Fluffy is a cumulus cloud and kids can learn about other types of clouds at the end of the book in the "Rescue Clouds Ready for Adoption". So cute and the descriptions of them are hilarious!

[Jeanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When your mom does not allow you to have a pet, you do the next best thing and make a pet out of cloud. I have quirky, weird granddaughters that would love a book like this. Having a cloud has a friend would be unusual and fun. But when the cloud suddenly disappears like clouds do, you wait again and the cloud will come back. You learn about having imagination is fun and how clouds work. Fun book for your weird kiddos.

A special thank you to Capstone and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the enchanting realm of children's literature, Amanda Rawson Hill unfolds a tale that defies convention—welcome to the world of "My Pet Cloud." As I delved into the pages, a charming narrative beckoned, introducing me to the imaginative mind of young Max and his unconventional choice of a companion.

In a world where cats and dogs reign as the quintessential pets, Max's desire for a pet cloud is refreshingly inventive. Hill crafts a narrative that seamlessly weaves whimsy with heart, capturing the essence of childhood creativity and the joy found in the extraordinary.

The challenges of caring for a cloud unfold in a series of delightful escapades, each page painted with the innocence of youth. Hill's storytelling is a tapestry of humor and magic, inviting readers to embrace the simplicity of imaginative play. Laia Arriols complements the narrative with illustrations that breathe life into Max's cloud-filled adventures, each stroke of the brush capturing the vibrant hues of childhood.

"My Pet Cloud" transcends the confines of a typical children's book; it is an ode to the unbridled joy derived from unfettered imagination. Amanda Rawson Hill invites readers, young and old, to rediscover the delight in the fantastical and the beauty of embracing unconventional friendships.

Whether you're a parent seeking a bedtime tale that sparks the imagination or an adult yearning for a delightful escape, "My Pet Cloud" stands as a testament to the enduring magic of storytelling. Weightless as Max's cloud may be, the story carries the substantial weight of timeless smiles.

[Hayley Chow · Rating 5 out of 5]

So we read four great picture books from NetGalley today, and this was unanimously our favorite. The story follows a boy who decides to adopt a cloud as a pet, but realizes there's a lot to know about taking care of a pet (even a cloud!). The clever story concept perfectly showed the responsibility of having a pet, the illustrations were adorable, and I loved the cloud science knowledge sprinkled throughout. A fantastic story for ages 3-7, and my 3yo and 5yo both said they liked it a whole lot. Highly recommend!

Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the free ARC!

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Went to a spontaneous read-a-long for this book at ALA (done by one of my favorite friends, Ellie) and I fell in love with this little book so much!

This is a story about friendship, grief (for a pet), hard decisions that parents have to make for their kids, and difficult life lessons about life throwing you in situations that sometimes just aren’t fair.

Not gonna lie, this book had me in tears by the last page

[Anita Salát · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute story about the joys and responsibilities of having a cloud as a pet. Easy language, perfect length for my 3-year-old, beautiful illustration. When I finished reading this to my daughter, all she said was "More, more, more!"
I have a feeling that this is going to be a book we'll be reading again and again and again...

Thanks NetGalley and Capstone for this Advance Reading Copy.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Capstone for sharing an early e-ARC with #bookexpedition.

Max really wants a pet, but his mom claims to be allergic to messes, noise, and animal hair. So when Max finds a lost cloud at the park, he knows it’ll make the perfect pet. It’s clean, quiet, and doesn’t even shed! Max decides to bring the cloud home and adopt it.

But having a cloud as a pet proves harder than Max thought. “Fluffy” floats away with the slightest gust of wind, is impossible to house-train and precipitates all over the carpet, and even starts a teeny fire with a zap of static electricity!

This sweet science story has social emotional elements such as responsibility, problem-solving, and friendship. Back matter provides a section on “Rescue Clouds Ready for Adoption,” including Grayson the stratus cloud, Chloe the cirrus cloud, and Puffy the cumulus cloud.

Pre-order now. Publishing February 1, 2022.

[Karen Hsu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read-aloud.
My 10yo and 5yo loved the idea of having a pet cloud. The 8yo was excited to review the different kinds of clouds he'd learned in school.
Super cute and loved the illustration!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUPER cute art and it teaches kids that sometimes having a pet might be hard, but it's worth it!

[Shella · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a cute story to learn about clouds and the responsibility of having a pet.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartwarming story about a boy and his pet cloud. It's really well illustrated with extra info about types of clouds. So cute when the pet cloud, Fluffy, has an "accident" in the house because you never know when Fluffy will start raining and cause a flood. Such a sweet and cute story!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.>

[Kassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than expected! So cute and fun. I laughed out loud. Would love to learn more about clouds and weather science!

[benita · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute book about Max who wants a pet but his mom doesn’t allow it because of all the work and most of all allergies. A pet cloud—could that work? This book made me smile, and it was an adorable read. The illustrations were so pretty. Overall, a book I would recommend.

5/5

I got this book for free from netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

[Shauna Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute book! I love the adoption profiles of the different clouds, they were hilarious. I think kids will really enjoy reading this book as it is fun, silly, and entertaining.

[Esi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Max really wants a pet, but he hasn't had any luck convincing his mom to get him one. One day Max finds a lost cloud and he decides to adopt it thinking it will make a great and easy pet.

This picture book is cute and imaginative and fun. For example there's a situation where Max and the cloud wrestle and the cloud accidentally causes a tiny fire, and another when the cloud tries to help out at home by raining on the mother's flowers in her garden and by shading Max from the sun when he's laying outside. There are great educational moments - of course about taking care of a pet, learning about responsibility, but also in the form of a pages describing different types of clouds in fun ways, and my favourite: when Max' mom describes to him how Fluffy the cloud might at this point be "drops in the ocean of humidity in the air" calling it "the water cycle of life".

The illustrations are great and colourful and not too intricate. Great for kids.

I was a little surprised by some of the vocabulary used in the story though, like "Nobody could predict when [the cloud] was going to precipitate". That seems like pretty advanced vocabulary for pre-k to me, but I could definitely be wrong.

Of course I also love the fact that we follow a little black boy in this book - without the fact that he's black being at the center of the storyline. That was a rarity when I was a kid reading books. And we should definitely not underestimate the positive impact it has on children seeing someone more closely resembling yourself and the people you're related to and friends with in paper, in stories, in a book. I love seeing more of that today and I hope we continue to see even more of it in the future to the point where you don't have to go out searching for books like that but they are stocked in every bookstore and every library.

Overall a pretty great picture book, and one I could see myself getting for younger nieces and nephews.

Thanks to netgalley and Capstone for providing me with a digital review copy of this book.

[Emily Emerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a digital ARC of this book, thanks to NetGalley*
I found this book to be absolutely adorable. It's a great story about friendship and how our friends may not always be conventional, but it's the friendship that counts. I really appreciated the diversity in this book (characters of all shapes, sizes, colors, genders...yay!!), The main character, Max, is an only child of a single mother, and I appreciated the eschewing of the "traditional family". I don't think enough books are written for kids about being an only child, or having a single parent.
I also thought the elements of the book were delightful. Cloud Charades! Who among us hasn't done that on a sunny summer day? The Rescue Clouds (like Rescue Pets) were so funny at the end, I found their little bios such a fun way to end the story.
There is also an educational element to this book, in which children learn about the types of clouds (cirrus, stratus, cumulus, etc.). It was far more interesting than my elementary school science textbook.
Overall, I enjoyed this book very much, and I would definitely recommend it.

[Elles_shelves · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max is a young boy who really wants a pet( however, his mother is allergic to noise, messes, and pet fur. Max decides to adopt a lost cloud from the park that he names Fluffy. Max thinks Fluffy will be the ideal pet since Fluffy is clean, quiet, and doesn’t shed. The only problem is that no one tells Max how difficult it is to take care of a pet cloud. Taking care of a cloud is a natural disaster full of wind, storms, house training, and static electricity. Soon Fluffy decides he needs to be helpful and starts performing cloud like tasks. Life is great until there is a big storm and Fluffy is lost. Max discovers other types of clouds and learns that there is a water cycle of life. In the end, Max is reunited with Fluffy and there is a happy ending.
This is a cute story and Max and Fluffy’s friendship is adorable. There is also a tiny bit of information about types of clouds. Little ones should enjoy the humor and the artwork. I wish that there was a bit more educational value to the book, but that would probably be a bit much for the intended audience to understand. Overall, it’s a cute and humorous story, but don’t think that this will be useful to teach about clouds.

[Joy (Books with Joy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: My Pet Cloud
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: Amanda Rawson Hill
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Children's Fiction
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• A sweet and charming story about a boy and a pet cloud
• Not only is this a cute read that explores the importance and responsibilities of owning a pet but there is also an educational factor regarding weather and science
• Beautiful illustrations with a gentle colour palette, befitting of the narrative and themes
• Perfect read before bedtime

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬: responsibilities of having a pet, friendship, educational (weather and science)

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: young children, curious children, children wanting pets (great conversation starter when discussing responsibilities and compassion)

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞.

[Lacy | lacyloveslit · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a cute concept- adopting a cloud as a pet alternative. I think this book would be a great conversation started for children wanting a pet as it tells about the responsibilities associated with taking care of pets. I loved the personification of the cloud (having a "flash flood" accident like a pet) and the ways the cloud tried to become more helpful (earning his keep by making snow cones-so cute!). I think the informative bits about clouds and weather throughout the story were my favorite part. I absolutely loved the Rescue Clouds Ready for Adoptions cards. This would make a really cute classroom read for a cloud/weather unit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Capstone Publishing, and the author/illustrator for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Pet Cloud tells the story of Max, a young boy who desperately wants a pet of his own. When his mom says no, he decides to “adopt” the stray cloud that he finds at the park. Max soon discovers that taking care of a pet cloud is more work than he could have imagined.

In addition to being adorable, this book is also very informative about the weather and types of clouds as well. Fluffy may be Max’s pet, but he’s still a cloud first and Max learns all of what clouds can do while he is taking care of Fluffy. I loved all of the funny moments between Max and Fluffy - I actually chuckled to myself when Fluffy decides to earn his keep with the sno-cone stand. There is a lot of heart in this short book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review.

[Z | maybetwoorthree · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a preschool teacher, I'd say this book will definitely catch young children's attention. I was amazed at how this book made learning Science so much fun! Max and Fluffy are both adorable and their friendship is admirable! The story is very insightful and it contains details about clouds, kinds of weather, and even water cycle without making the discussion boring! How great is that? The illustrations are also aesthetically pleasing!

Personally, I love children's books that entail a lot of topics for classroom discussion. Luckily, My Pet Cloud is one of those books! It contains just the right amount of integration––pets, friendship, clouds, kinds of weather, water cycle, four seasons, etc. Overall, this is a wonderful book that I think both teachers and students will love!

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, you might think there is nothing new under the sun, but this is – Fluffy the Cloud and the story of his adoption as a pet by young Max. OK, at times it does become a little less of a story, but that's because the book also gives a primer in cloud science, the water cycle and the different kinds of cloud. Some of that is really nicely introduced, too, not forced into the story through foul means. There's also great comedy, with Fluffy looking exactly like a dog messing the lounge carpet when he lets out a little lightning by mistake. It all means this is a lot less nonsensical than you might have imagined, and well worth a strong four stars.

[thebiblioaddict · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this story is really cute. I like the idea that there is science involved with how clouds are formed and the different weather patterns that can effect it. It does get sad when Fluffy gets blown away and potentially passes away because that is the flow of nature. BUT childrens books usually have happy endings and this one does! Fluffy returns to Max and they are the best of friends!

At the end of the book there is a portion where there are "adoptable" clouds with the different variations of cloud formations and little bios about them! When my daughter and I went through them she picked Fluffy because she has a rainbow! I would buy this book when it releases

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was absolutely adorable, my 7 year old son LOVED it and is currently making his own pet cloud! We've had many requests and subsequent chats about getting a pet at home. This book is a great way to add to that conversation, while pets are cute and fun to play with the book also outlined many of the responsibilities that come with having a pet.

The illustrations are beyond stunning, I loved the simple and calming colour palette. I would absolutely recommend this book. It is listed as PreK-2 but I would say there are a couple of words they would need help with if reading on their own.