Willy and the Cloud

PreS-Gr 2—Picture books about emotions can be difficult to pull off, and Browne's light touch here leaves a lot up to interpretation. However, his spare text and appealing protagonist make the story and emotions accessible, and while not all children will interpret it the same way, they will likely come away with something worthwhile. Willy, Browne's anthropomorphic chimp protagonist, is on his way to the park when he realizes that a cloud seems to be following him. Unable to enjoy himself, he heads home, but it keeps following him. Ultimately, he confronts it, it turns to rain, the sun comes out, and he heads to the park in a positive frame of mind. The artist uses clean lines, white space, and panels to show Willy's attempt to escape from the cloud. When he realizes he has not escaped it, his coloring goes gray and his body posture becomes despondent. Willy's joy, anger, frustration, and sadness are clear on his face throughout, and Browne continuously uses his color palette and body posture to emphasize the emotions he is portraying. The text is direct and straightforward, with not a wasted word, providing access to a wide age range of children. Whether the cloud represents anxiety, incessant worry, depression, or simply the facing of fears is up to interpretation, despite the flap text. Whichever it is, children will understand that it is about emotions and that Willy is confronting something.