Cover Image: Lost in the Clouds

Lost in the Clouds

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Member Reviews

A sweet book on loss

Billy's mummy has died. Since then, Billy is sometimes sad. He imagines his mom up in the clouds, and he often talks to her. His dad is also sometimes sad, as he also misses Billy's mom. On rainy days, his dad is often too sad to play. One day, Billy goes out in the rain and tries to build a ladder to the sky...

A very sweet book on bereavement for kids. The illustrations are detailed and beautiful. The language is very well suited for kids. A very important book on losing someone close.

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A lovely picture book exploring the topic of grief and loss for young children. Billy misses his mum very much because she lives in the clouds. On sunny days, the clouds are nowhere to be seen and he and his dad play happily together all day. On cloudy and rainy days, Billy feels sad, and dad may retreat into himself leaving Billy feeling alone.
This book explores the feelings of loss and grief through bereavement with beautiful pictures and child-friendly language. It explains how while grief may feel lonely, it is not a storm that has to be faced alone, and others may feel the same way - if expressing it differently.

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This a lovely book for discussing the death of a loved one with young children. It talks about greif and the feelings they may be experiencing in simple, child-friendly terms and shares suggestions and ways of managing some of these. The pictures and colourful and bright, without overwhelming the sadness of the story. There is also a great parents guide at the back offering suggestions to adults of how best to discuss these matters with children. This is definitely a book I will be buying to keep in my classroom in case I ever need to discuss death with members of my class.

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The guidance at the end of this gentle book is invaluable and important to parents, carers and professionals. The messages may help children to have a framework to explore their grief and loss. Beautiful words and illustrations to explore and prompt individual discussions.

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This is a lovely, reassuring book for children and their families coping with a loss. It depicts how the days of grief can be so different to each other - some days brighter than others, others very dark and hard to cope with. It gives children reassurance that they are loved and can turn to others for support and that that is ok. It also has a section at the end giving tips on how to help a child cope with loss and gives links to various organisations tha can help. The illustrations are beautiful, simple and to the point. My thanks to DK and Netgalley for allowing me access to an ARC.

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Such a beautiful message, well told and beautifully Illustrated, Lost on the Clouds is about grief, grieving and how to deal with your emotions. I love the fact that it also represents the surviving parent's side l howit covers the healing process such as talking about the your loved one and keeping them with you in your memories, overall a beautiful and very sensitively told story to help with grieving

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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Achingly, beautiful. An incredible book for helping children to unpick some of the feelings associated with grief. Billy's mum has died and we see not only the grief of Billy but also of his Dad, Billy likes to think of his Mummy as being up in the clouds. The weather very much at times mirroring his mood. One day, he really wants to talk to his Mummy and tries to climb a very tall ladder to see if she can hear him in the clouds. However, a storm is raging that puts Billy in peril. Fear not, Dad will be there to help comfort and soothe him.

It's a book with such raw emotion and you feel instantly connected to Billy. It's a lovely way to help families start talking about their grief and remembering their loved ones. It also shows a full spectrum of feelings that flood with grief and showing that these emotions are very normal.

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Losing someone close is always difficult, but losing a partner when you have a young child is like an emotional rollercoaster; grieving oneself whilst having to explain to your children what has happened and cope with them coming to terms that Mum of Dad just isn't there anymore. This book manages this beautifully with the concept of Mummy being in the clouds, thus providing some anchor for a child to latch on to and a reference point that makes it easier for the needed conversations between those adults and children who remain.

I like the fact that it tackles the subject from the remaining parent's side too and that it shows that some days will be even more difficult than others. It brings up very important points in helping with the healing process such as talking about the person gone, keeping them in their memories and still including them in the day even if they are not physically there.

This is a book that in a way we hope there is not much demand for, but for those families in this terrible situation, for me this is the perfect book to help them work through their grief.. I can see it becoming my main 'go to' recommendation for such situations.

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A sensitive, hopeful story with beautiful illustrations that deals with the topic of grief. Thanks to publisher - DK Children/Penguin Random House for gifting me the book to review.

The story about Billy losing his mum is sensitively handled. It tells a story using familiar things like the weather, especially focusing on the sky and playing in the garden. It's overall a positive story that can lift the heart. It also shows children how Billy finds comfort in clouds and sunny days. It therefore also gives children ideas for discovering hope and comfort, especially on sunnier days. These are Billy's happy days. The harder days are painted as more gloomy, stormy weather. So, this book cleverly shows different emotions through these weather changes, which can in turn help with some understanding of emotions experienced when grieving.
The book shows, not just Billy coping on some days and grief hitting hard on other days, but also how dad is going through this too and also missing his wife. It also shows father and son coming together in a positive way to help each other.
The book is beautifully illustrated throughout, which enhances the story, which in turn provides a relaxed opening for children and adults to discuss their feelings together. It essentially would do what it says it will in the blurb in helping children process and understand grief, as well as finding out that there is still lightness in life, even though some days can be hard.

At the end there is a useful "Guide for Grown-Ups" page with hints and tips how to help your child, how to approach the subject of someone dying and how to help them through their grief. There is also a section of resources so that extra support can be gained.
Here are some websites to some of those here:

Young Minds     Child Bereavement UK         Hope Again - Cruse Bereavement Care

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This story was very cleverly written, to explain to a child about grief and how to deal with your emotions.
I actually read this with a bit of a lump in my throat - was a really lovely read.
Great book that I would recommend for any parent to have to help with the grieving process for their young ones.

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A beautifully illustrated story that helps children to deal with their grief and understand the different emotions they can go through after they lose someone they love.

These books are always great to have at least one copy of on the shelf of any bookshop and 'Lost in the Clouds' also has a handy guide for grown-ups in the back.

Thank you DK and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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A very commendable volume that portrays a grieving child. He imagines his deceased mother on a cloud, but of course clouds change – cloudless days mean happy play days with dad, cloudy days show mum's cloud front and centre, but stormy, dark, shouty, "Howl, howl, howl, howl!" days are the worst. What lessons could the youngster – and of course the reader – take from such a nasty, horrid experience? There will always be a factor for books like this that they're designed to have a specific purpose and end goal that isn't necessarily regarding their narrative. This is one such, where the real use of the book is not in showing the story, but in giving a lesson to young and old about coping with grief. That said, here the way the different moods are reflected in the weather and vice versa is highly dramatic. It does its best to make a decent page-turner out of a therapeutic example, and I'm sure it's going to be of vital, vital use to certain audience members, so I can't see a reason to mark it down at all.

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Oh my goodness this was such a touching and heartfelt read!

We lost my grandma in December 2020 and I had to explain to my daughter what had happened and why my mum and I were upset and it was a really hard thing to try and explain.

This book is lovely and it deals with the subject to well. I loved the illustrations and the darker clouds, I liked how the clouds were over the dad too at times when you knew he was struggling – very subtle.

It is five stars from me for this one, a wonderful book and it deals with a really sensitive subject so well – very highly recommended

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The beautiful cover of this book drew me to request it. This is a story about grief which explains the feeling of loss, in a way that children will understand. Billy's mummy had died and he liked to think of her as living in the clouds. This book explores not just Billy's feelings but those of his Dad's aswell who also is really missing his wife. I think this book is brilliant. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

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This is a poignant book that will support parents, careers and teachers when confronting the bereavement of a parent with a young child. The story of Billy trying to communicate to his mum through the clouds is beautifully told and the illustrations are pitch perfect to reflect to child’s and dad’s emotions. The use of clouds to reflect moods is not new but this book sensitively uses the analogy to help Billy understand and begin to be aware of the change in his life and how he can talk to any family member, friend or teacher about his emotions. Tom Tinn- Dinsbury has produced an excellent book which could be an invaluable resource to support counselling a young person and to discuss and share family bereavement. Highly recommended for younger children ( under 7 ) A book I would certainly recommend to friends and colleagues.

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