A lovely, heartwarming story, best suited for preschool/kindergarten age children. Everyone has value! Beautifully illustrated.

Beautiful illustrations full of color. I really feel students will enjoy this book. They will be "hooked" by the pretty cover, but will stay for the good story

This book is written with the point of view of a cloud. It has the premise that we always like to see the sun, but are rarely happy to see clouds, especially rain clouds. It must be sad for the cloud to be so disliked!

Sidney the Lonely Cloud by Tim Hopgood is about a cloud who just wants to see people smile but most people don't want to see him because they think he will ruin their day. Sidney is sad but moves on, gets bigger and floats to another part of the world where he is needed to provide shade and much needed rain. This book is a reminder to keep looking for where you are wanted if you aren't in the right group for you. The story and illustrations go well together. I'd recommend this for kids ages 2-10 or anyone who has ever felt lonely.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.

thank you netGalley for allowing me to review this ARC. All my opinions are my own.

Very cute children's story about cloud that was just trying to make people smile.
I also found the images very bright and cheerful. Overall a wonderful book that will make children smile

This book hooked me in with the amazingly bright and striking illustrations and I stayed for the heartfelt message instead. It all comes down to this: we want to feel seen, loved and appreciated. Every last one of us. But sometimes, our actions aren't always interpreted as they were intended and that can leave us searching for more. But in that search, we can find our true selves AND the people who appreciate us. This may have been a picture book based on animals for children, but I think it's a picture book that every adult will find comfort in, too.

What a wonderful book. Kids are going to love reading about the Journey of this little cloud. Many people do not like the little cloud but finally it finds a home where people love what gift the little cloud has to bring. Beautiful illustrations to help tell the story. Wonderful family book.

This was such a cute book for children, especially those who are young and just learning to read on their own. The sentences are short and straightforward, and the illustrations are wonderfully done by the artist. The colors and pictures are sure to draw the eyes of children, and the story will teach them empathy even if it’s on the level of a rain cloud. It demonstrates the importance of clouds and rain while also keeping it easy and simple for the younger ones.

Overall, I rate this book:
🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars

And would recommend it for parents of children and preschool- first grade kids.

Beautiful art, even more wonderfully told story about inclusion.
Most importantly, accepting oneself and finding those who will appreciate you and see your strenghts that you had once determined as weaknesses that made you shy away.
Loneliness to acceptance..
My interpretation anyway..

This was such a beautiful book; illustrations and meaning alike.

The plot follows Sydney the cloud, looking for acceptance and appreciation wherever he goes. However the plight for belonging is tricker than he could’ve imagined…

I can see this book becoming a staple on my toddler’s shelf in addition to being utilised in my KS1 classroom to teach:

- Water cycle
- Diversity
- Habitats
- Weather
- Mental Health

Superb!

Thank you to NetGalley and flyaway books for the eARC to read and review!

This very cute story sends a great message about finding your people and your purpose. Sidney the cloud seemed to be a nuisance in one area, but was a welcome relief to another. If you're a fan of Cloudette, you'll probably like this one as well. Similar but ends in a different way, which would make for great compare and contrast practice.

This book had gorgeous illustrations and fairly diverse representation among people represented. All descriptors of Sidney used gender neutral language in an easy, natural way, which I really appreciated.

I'm excited to add this book to my collection.

Thanks NetGalley for the preview!

I loved this story of belonging! Sidney had great talents and just had to find her place. I loved the pictures and the rainbow at the end!

Poor Sidney. He's a little cloud that floats through the sky and just wants to make people happy. Unfortunately, people usually think he's going to ruin their plans and aren't pleased to see him. This makes him sad, but could there be a place where Sidney is welcome?

I'm conflicted about the message here. Sidney feels unwanted and sad, and this is resolved when he finds a place where his presence and gifts are necessary and needed. That's great, but it feels a little incomplete and arbitrary, especially for little minds that tend to see things in black and white. I'm not sure they'll understand the nuance of the story and may just be sad for Sidney or not understand why he was suddenly accepted.

That said, the art is absolutely gorgeous! The color and details are captivating. It will hold kids' attention well. It may be worth giving this a try and asking kids what they think about the story, how they would feel if they were Sidney, etc. It could make for a nice conversation-starter.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Living in the desert there are many days I would welcome a visit from Sidney. Loved the message enclosed within the colorful pages of this beautiful read. The use of color reminds me of my favorite Eric Carlie books. Keep your head up Sidney and stay where you are loved.
Thank you to Tim Hopgood and NetGalley for sharing this cute read.

Very cute fiction. Could be used in class, to explain the water cycle, to talk about animals and colours!
Very colourful, awesome illustrations!

Thank you, NetGalley, for an e-ARC of Sidney the Lonely Cloud by Tim Hopgood. Sidney is a cloud that wants to find friends, but whenever he shows up, people run inside to get out of his rain. Sidney finds a place that welcomes his rain and makes him feel loved. A sweet book with a great moral. This book will make a great addition to a weather or friendship themed storytime.

Poor Sidney! No one ever seems happy as he drifts across the sky, blocking out the sun, and bringing rain . . . until he travels to a hot, dry land that needs both shade and rainfall. This is a nice story about acceptance, and finding your place in the world, with gorgeous illustrations by the author.

A quickly-read picture book showing how we all have our place, with Sidney the cloud (aka Cyril, the name he had when this was first published just a couple of years ago) only wanting to look down on happiness, and not managing to bring anything like that to the people below him. Colours are strong in the art, but I can see some people taking against the style. And the story is a little too simplistic to bear too many reads, however welcome the message may be. For both those reasons combined, this was three and a half stars for me, which might be a smidge ungenerous. But it is cloudy out.

Sydney the Lonely Cloud

4 Stars


We follow Sydney on her journey to find smiling faces, as she watches the people below, as she moves through the sky.

The illustrations are colorful and bright. They're reminiscent of the '70s psychedelic art era. The artwork definitely does a great job depicting the riot of emotions Sydney's going through until she finds where she belongs.

Overall, I enjoyed this charming little book. It's a good choice for any library. It's cute, short, and sweet. Thanks, NetGalley and Flyaway Books, for an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Amazing story! I love the illustrations. Finding your place in the world is so comforting! A unique way to present finding your place in the world and not giving up on yourself.