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Cloud Dance
Clouds of many shapes and sizes drift and dance across the sky, in a book that also includes factual information on the formation and different kinds of clouds.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
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About the author
Thomas Locker
52 books20 followersThomas Locker was one of the major American painters of the past century. In a career that spanned almost 60 years, he had over 75 solo exhibitions. His work ranged from the delicate to the monumental, but all had one thing in common: the beauty of the natural world. He had a deep appreciation for the elusive link between the human spirit and the sublime force of nature.
He spent his entire life in service to his two great passions: painting and nature. Through widespread exhibition of his artwork and publication of his illustrated children’s books, Mr. Locker touched the hearts and minds of countless people.
Mr. Locker’s early paintings were poetic landscapes. Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, former director of the National Collection of Fine Arts for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., wrote, "Although Locker’s landscapes are not glimpses of a new Arcadia, the quotation from the past re-emphasizes their cerebral play. They call attention less to Nature than to the complex intermingling of perception and thought in the mind of man. Suddenly, seeing becomes thinking, and thinking a delight to the age."
In 1982, Thomas Locker’s career took on a new and even broader dimension. In an effort to connect with a wider audience and educate younger minds, he began work on his first children’s picture book, Where the River Begins. Today, Mr. Locker’s exceptional paintings and illustrations grace the pages of some 30 different books, several of which he also wrote. These unique books have been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Christopher Award, the John Burroughs Award, and the New York Times Award for best illustration.
Thomas Locker’s landscapes have a quality all their own. His years of experimentation and research into the glazing techniques and paint chemistry of traditional European painting have enabled him to achieve a new vision of the traditional for a non-traditional age.
His books have received many awards, including the John Burroughs Young Reader Award, NCTE Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts, NSTA-CBS Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, the Christopher Award, and others.
http://www.rmichelson.com/Artist_Page...
He spent his entire life in service to his two great passions: painting and nature. Through widespread exhibition of his artwork and publication of his illustrated children’s books, Mr. Locker touched the hearts and minds of countless people.
Mr. Locker’s early paintings were poetic landscapes. Dr. Joshua C. Taylor, former director of the National Collection of Fine Arts for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., wrote, "Although Locker’s landscapes are not glimpses of a new Arcadia, the quotation from the past re-emphasizes their cerebral play. They call attention less to Nature than to the complex intermingling of perception and thought in the mind of man. Suddenly, seeing becomes thinking, and thinking a delight to the age."
In 1982, Thomas Locker’s career took on a new and even broader dimension. In an effort to connect with a wider audience and educate younger minds, he began work on his first children’s picture book, Where the River Begins. Today, Mr. Locker’s exceptional paintings and illustrations grace the pages of some 30 different books, several of which he also wrote. These unique books have been honoured with numerous awards, including the prestigious Christopher Award, the John Burroughs Award, and the New York Times Award for best illustration.
Thomas Locker’s landscapes have a quality all their own. His years of experimentation and research into the glazing techniques and paint chemistry of traditional European painting have enabled him to achieve a new vision of the traditional for a non-traditional age.
His books have received many awards, including the John Burroughs Young Reader Award, NCTE Notable Trade Books in the Language Arts, NSTA-CBS Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children, the Christopher Award, and others.
http://www.rmichelson.com/Artist_Page...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
September 2, 2024
By presenting a series of paintings all depicting the same piece of land in rural New York, artist Thomas Locker invites young readers to look at the sky, and particularly the clouds, through the seasons, at different times of the day, and during different types of weather. In every image, the sky takes up at least half (and usually more) of the canvas. Children will notice the same woman and child. Often they’re walking around some part of the path that circles the lake in the centre of the acreage, sometimes towards and sometimes away from a large white frame house on the far shore. When the season and weather permit, they’re out in a rowboat on the lake, and once we see them completing a snowman in the glowering winter dusk.
This is a book that encourages children’s observational skills. There is only minimal text, but it provides some guidance about what to look for. (I do feel this aspect of the book could have been a little stronger.) Because the human figures are small, it’s probably best to read this work with a very small group or a single child.
The book concludes with a discussion of different kinds of clouds, how they’re formed, and where they are found in the troposphere (the layer of the atmosphere nearest Earth that extends five to ten miles up). Some easy (art and writing) activities are also suggested.
This is a lovely book, and I can imagine that sharing it with a child would be a special meditative experience.It indirectly addresses the changeability and transience of natural phenomena.
This is a book that encourages children’s observational skills. There is only minimal text, but it provides some guidance about what to look for. (I do feel this aspect of the book could have been a little stronger.) Because the human figures are small, it’s probably best to read this work with a very small group or a single child.
The book concludes with a discussion of different kinds of clouds, how they’re formed, and where they are found in the troposphere (the layer of the atmosphere nearest Earth that extends five to ten miles up). Some easy (art and writing) activities are also suggested.
This is a lovely book, and I can imagine that sharing it with a child would be a special meditative experience.It indirectly addresses the changeability and transience of natural phenomena.
March 5, 2018
The artwork in this book is really pretty and I think it could be useful for teaching a science lesson on clouds or weather.
January 8, 2011
Until the last 2 pages, titled “About Clouds” and “Types of Clouds” the book’s text seems to serve mostly as a vehicle for its illustrations. The illustrations are pretty, and somewhat informative. But I was disappointed. if the information part of the book was going to be so flimsy and also directed at children, I would have liked at least one page where clouds were in the kind of shapes where kids could guess/say what they looked like, what objects and other things they seemed to look like; that was a fun activity I did with my friends and others when I was young.
Then, after the painting, the reader gets to those last two pages, and there is an abbreviated summary about types of clouds. it is scientific and geared toward elementary school kids. But, for adults, young adults, and even older children, the best book I’ve found out if you want to educate yourself about clouds is The Book of Clouds by John A. Day. For a brief overview, this book is fine. But, it didn’t really grab me. I liked the book, but I wasn’t wild about it. If it gets readers to explore further, that would be wonderful. And, I like the book’s title.
Then, after the painting, the reader gets to those last two pages, and there is an abbreviated summary about types of clouds. it is scientific and geared toward elementary school kids. But, for adults, young adults, and even older children, the best book I’ve found out if you want to educate yourself about clouds is The Book of Clouds by John A. Day. For a brief overview, this book is fine. But, it didn’t really grab me. I liked the book, but I wasn’t wild about it. If it gets readers to explore further, that would be wonderful. And, I like the book’s title.
December 30, 2010
Short, lyrical text mentions the various types of clouds that dance through the sky; the colors and shapes and changes. The illustrations are beautiful; it reminds me of something pastoral from the European masters. A lovely tribute to clouds. I found myself wanting a bit more information about clouds and was delighted to find a scientific note in the back of the book explaining more about the different sorts of clouds.
October 20, 2018
a. Summary: This book is a basic yet poetic introduction to clouds. This book contains beautiful illustrations of the different cloud types with a brief poetic description of what is seen looking at the clouds. The book goes through various cloud types and ends with definitions and more thorough explanations of the different cloud types.
b. Evaluation: This book does a great job of not overwhelming the reader with information on clouds. It gives the reader a better visual sense of each cloud before getting into the explicit information. This book is an informational descriptive text that doesn’t bombard the reader with information.
c. Teaching Point: This book would be a great for a science lesson that introduces weather or cloud types. This book can give students a visual understanding of the different cloud types before learning the definitions. This book can also be incorporated into the end of the unit of clouds as an interactive read aloud. The teacher can stop throughout the book to have the students use their knowledge to identify the cloud type based on the illustration.
b. Evaluation: This book does a great job of not overwhelming the reader with information on clouds. It gives the reader a better visual sense of each cloud before getting into the explicit information. This book is an informational descriptive text that doesn’t bombard the reader with information.
c. Teaching Point: This book would be a great for a science lesson that introduces weather or cloud types. This book can give students a visual understanding of the different cloud types before learning the definitions. This book can also be incorporated into the end of the unit of clouds as an interactive read aloud. The teacher can stop throughout the book to have the students use their knowledge to identify the cloud type based on the illustration.
January 31, 2023
After reading cloud dance, I was able to see that this book discusses the different types of clouds such as stratus, cumulative, cirrus. The illustrations of this book provide the reader and give hints as to what time of year and the type of weather that will come from those specific clouds. This book would be excellent to read to my students when we are discussing the water cycle and the roles of the clouds. I would ask the students what kind of clouds are outside of our window of the classroom. We can also discuss how clouds are made through the water cycle. The images throughout the book make it realistic, so the students can relate their experiences with looking at the sky. As an activity to do after reading the book, we could create clouds with cotton balls, string, paper, and markers. We can make raindrops by cutting out little droplets and coloring them blue.
January 4, 2024
Thomas Locker has enamored me with his work yet again. i'm in love with this book, from the poetry to the illustrations. the cloud cycle is one of my favorites (among the water cycle) and sometimes all i want to do is watch and study them. Cloud Dance provided me opportunities to do just that! one thing that continues to stand out to me that i really like in the formatting of these books is how it's poetry and pretty illustrations and then the explanation in the back.
a simple intro to clouds, but a valuable one! 5/5 stars.
a simple intro to clouds, but a valuable one! 5/5 stars.
December 3, 2018
This book will be a great use for me as a future teacher. It explains clouds and their characteristics. How rain clouds look full and heavy that they burst. These descriptions are supported by the illustrations in the book. I think it is a great way to introduce how seasons and weather effects clouds. For example, when clouds are low and thick they bring sparkling snow. I will use this book in the future in science lessons.
September 25, 2017
The illustration of the book is amazing. It shows the picture of every season and color of the cloud changing. The book will be useful to introduce the clouds before the starting of cloud lesson in science class. The book evokes the interest of the cloud, which can make people see the sky more often and enjoy it.
November 6, 2018
This book was interesting to me because not only is it good for reading and fluency but it teaches science as it informs about the variety of clouds. I think this book is very relaxing and has a calming tone so it gets the lesson across in a less stressful and forceful way. Overall, I liked this book and its incorporation of other subject matters to enhance the amount of learning.
September 27, 2017
I enjoyed this book. This book is talking about all the different kinds of clouds, when they come, what they do, and what they look like. This book has awesome illustrations to describe every cloud they were referring to.
February 7, 2022
Simple, lyrical text with gorgeous realistic artwork of skyscapes with a focus on the clouds!
Has a fantastic page at the back illustrating the types of clouds!
Read for our 1st-grade Science curriculum unit on clouds.
Has a fantastic page at the back illustrating the types of clouds!
Read for our 1st-grade Science curriculum unit on clouds.
December 15, 2025
Celebrates the ordinary wonder and beauty of the variety of clouds. Wonderful addition to a science lesson or just to remember the extraordinary magnificence we are surrounded by daily when we enjoy the outdoors. Beautiful illustrations!
October 9, 2017
He’s seriously a favourite. His illustrations are classic.
February 13, 2020
Great, descriptive book about clouds.
October 9, 2020
Beautiful art
10/9/20 Read with julia
10/9/20 Read with julia
November 13, 2020
Great for teaching personification.
March 9, 2022
This book includes beautiful illustrations and short an sweet pages to teach about clouds.
April 5, 2022
More of an art book than a kid's story, but whatever
April 27, 2022
Illustrations are filled with movement and are beautiful. I also liked that it included a lesson at the end of the book.
September 9, 2022
Not a super engaging story, but BEAUTIFUL art.
August 5, 2023
The many forms of clouds are poetically described with beautiful illustrations to enhance the text. There is also additional information in the back of the book about clouds and the different types.
April 1, 2025
If you want a book for art study and appreciation this is 5 stars but as far as an engaging story with context this falls short.
Read
April 25, 2025Wonderful art of the sky and seasons, but toddlers really don't appreciate the nuance and poetry of the text. We will have to try it again.
November 6, 2018
Summary:
The seasons change and brings about all different types of cloud formations. This book allows you to learn about all of the different types of clouds and how they look.
Evaluation:
Thomas Locker, the author of Cloud Dance did an excellent job connecting the illustrations to the text. The illustrations really bring to life the words in the sentences. For example, the text says, “Rain cloud, full and heavy, burst” and when you look to the right the illustrations really depict what the sentence is saying. There are rain clouds that are dark and grey, and it shows movement to where the rain burst and starts to fall to the ground. The illustrations help the reader fully understand the text and its meaning.
Teaching Idea:
This book is great to introduce to young children the basics of beginning science. I would use this in a Kindergarten setting when talking about whether and how clouds look and how they change over time. Also, you can incorporate the different seasons in with this book. If I was using this book to teach, I would read this aloud to the class. I would stop on the pages I think are necessary, and have students decide if there were any vocabulary words on the page that they may not know. For example, “wispy” and “shimmer”, those are two words that might not be familiar. We would write these words on our vocabulary board and go over what we think the meaning is and discuss as a class what the definition really is.
The seasons change and brings about all different types of cloud formations. This book allows you to learn about all of the different types of clouds and how they look.
Evaluation:
Thomas Locker, the author of Cloud Dance did an excellent job connecting the illustrations to the text. The illustrations really bring to life the words in the sentences. For example, the text says, “Rain cloud, full and heavy, burst” and when you look to the right the illustrations really depict what the sentence is saying. There are rain clouds that are dark and grey, and it shows movement to where the rain burst and starts to fall to the ground. The illustrations help the reader fully understand the text and its meaning.
Teaching Idea:
This book is great to introduce to young children the basics of beginning science. I would use this in a Kindergarten setting when talking about whether and how clouds look and how they change over time. Also, you can incorporate the different seasons in with this book. If I was using this book to teach, I would read this aloud to the class. I would stop on the pages I think are necessary, and have students decide if there were any vocabulary words on the page that they may not know. For example, “wispy” and “shimmer”, those are two words that might not be familiar. We would write these words on our vocabulary board and go over what we think the meaning is and discuss as a class what the definition really is.
December 23, 2014
Booklist (October 1, 2000 (Vol. 97, No. 3))
Gr. 3-5. This picture book for older children follows Water Dance (1997) in what one hopes will be a long series. It blends Locker's spare, poetic, informative text with his well-known Hudson River school-style landscapes. The strength here, as with many of his works, is the way Locker lets his paintings do most of the talking. Austere lines of text ("High, wispy clouds race in the autumn wind" or "Fluffy summer clouds march in the blue sky") are complemented by art that goes beyond the call of illustrative duty to reveal the wonder and beauty of the sky in different seasons and under various meteorological conditions. The paintings speak eloquently of the complete, seamless quality of the elemental natural world. An informative section at the book's end, entitled "About Clouds," links the beauty to the science. With Locker's immediate stylistic connection to the Hudson River painters, Cloud Dancebecomes a successful blend of fiction, science, and art.
Horn Book (Spring 2001)
Locker's painterly style is particularly suited to a picture book about clouds. On each spread, an oil painting shows an expanse of sky, while a brief, poetic text describes the clouds in different seasons or at different times of day: "Soft, rosy spring clouds / flow / in the dawn light. / Veils of mist / rise / in warm sunlight." Factual information about the types of clouds and the way they are formed concludes the attractive volume.
Publishers Weekly (April 28, 2003)
This companion to Water Dance includes a series of the artist's distinctive skyscapes, each paired with a single poetic sentence. Endnotes present scientific information about clouds in a q&a format. All ages. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal (November 2000)
PreS-Gr 2-This beautifully designed book celebrates clouds as they appear during the different hours of the day and seasons of the year. Each two-page spread features a few lines of prose on the verso and an illustration encompassing most of the recto. The oil paintings are done in subdued and relaxing colors. Many of them show a small child walking with an adult on a path. The book does not have a lot of action, but would be perfect for quiet and relaxed sharing between adult and child. Factual information about clouds is provided on the last two pages.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Gr. 3-5. This picture book for older children follows Water Dance (1997) in what one hopes will be a long series. It blends Locker's spare, poetic, informative text with his well-known Hudson River school-style landscapes. The strength here, as with many of his works, is the way Locker lets his paintings do most of the talking. Austere lines of text ("High, wispy clouds race in the autumn wind" or "Fluffy summer clouds march in the blue sky") are complemented by art that goes beyond the call of illustrative duty to reveal the wonder and beauty of the sky in different seasons and under various meteorological conditions. The paintings speak eloquently of the complete, seamless quality of the elemental natural world. An informative section at the book's end, entitled "About Clouds," links the beauty to the science. With Locker's immediate stylistic connection to the Hudson River painters, Cloud Dancebecomes a successful blend of fiction, science, and art.
Horn Book (Spring 2001)
Locker's painterly style is particularly suited to a picture book about clouds. On each spread, an oil painting shows an expanse of sky, while a brief, poetic text describes the clouds in different seasons or at different times of day: "Soft, rosy spring clouds / flow / in the dawn light. / Veils of mist / rise / in warm sunlight." Factual information about the types of clouds and the way they are formed concludes the attractive volume.
Publishers Weekly (April 28, 2003)
This companion to Water Dance includes a series of the artist's distinctive skyscapes, each paired with a single poetic sentence. Endnotes present scientific information about clouds in a q&a format. All ages. (Apr.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal (November 2000)
PreS-Gr 2-This beautifully designed book celebrates clouds as they appear during the different hours of the day and seasons of the year. Each two-page spread features a few lines of prose on the verso and an illustration encompassing most of the recto. The oil paintings are done in subdued and relaxing colors. Many of them show a small child walking with an adult on a path. The book does not have a lot of action, but would be perfect for quiet and relaxed sharing between adult and child. Factual information about clouds is provided on the last two pages.-Sheilah Kosco, Rapides Parish Library, Alexandria, LA
Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2011
I can remember choosing Thomas Locker's books for Ellen because of the gorgeous illustrations. This one is no exception. A picture is worth 1000 words, but the words he chooses to describe his pictures are beautiful, too. Each two-page spread has a cloud picture on one page and a few words on the facing page. "High, wispy clouds race in the autumn wind." or "Veils of mist rise in warm sunlight." The pictures are worthy of an art gallery wall - just breathtaking. At the end of the book is a page titled "About Clouds" that explains the different kinds of clouds and why they are different colors. Not a book for the very young, but older children will get an eyeful of beauty when they read this.
September 27, 2011
The text of this feels like it is written for young children, but they may not be immediately drawn to the illustrations. As an adult, I would love to have any one of the illustrations as my computer backdrop or framed and hanging on my wall! They are gorgeous paintings.
My favorite part of this book is the last two pages which contains great scientific information about clouds. I really did learn a lot there. And I particularly liked the last page which illustrated and labeled the different types of clouds. I would say this book could be a nice springboard to other books in a study of clouds.
My favorite part of this book is the last two pages which contains great scientific information about clouds. I really did learn a lot there. And I particularly liked the last page which illustrated and labeled the different types of clouds. I would say this book could be a nice springboard to other books in a study of clouds.
November 6, 2012
This is a book illustrating some of the different ways that clouds can appear, emphasizing color and texture rather than necessarily their classification. The end of the book has further background on clouds, coloring of clouds and such for those interested. The text is simple. The illustrations in this are gorgeous. Any one of them could be framed and put on a wall. A book that any age can appreciate.
August 10, 2016
The illustrations in this book inspire many memories and with those memories...stories! I loved the way they depicted our diverse and grand sky and their cloud dancers. The words were simple and artistically placed to give even more attention to the illustrations. This would be a great addition to any weather and climate unit, seasons and day/night, or days of outdoor observations.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews