Not my cup of tea, unfortunately not a lot of writing more words were spoken through the illustrations in my opinion. If it weren't for the illustrations I wouldn’t have continued reading

A translated work from French about a girl called Mila and her recollection of the World War II she experienced as a child. Very dreamlike – creepy of course – but very dreamlike.

I was not really in the right mind space for this type of story so … yeah.

A graphic novel sharing impact of war experienced by Mila as a child,
How her dreams and memories are impacted by this experience and her escape in guessing who owns the clouds?.
The art was very reminiscent of newspaper prints or ads in black ink. It complemented the gravity of the issue it explored. it was haunting and yet beautiful.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving the eARC in exchange of an honest feedback.

A short, gorgeous graphic memoir about (coping with) trauma and the impact of war on a young person, and what war looks like through their eyes. The language is sparse but evocative and the art is stark, mostly in black and white with pops of red that draw your attention. Deceptively simple, with its images of clouds and cats, old photographs, waiting in line, birds and smokestacks, and also haunting and pensive and dark and dream-like; the moment when the title's meaning becomes clear is really impactful. A little reminiscent of Shaun Tan's The Arrival - definitely a book you want to read a couple times for the full meaning to sink in.

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

In this English translation of a French comic, WHO OWNS THE CLOUDS is a graphic novel exploring the impact of war on a child, Mila. She tells the reader about her dreams, her sleeping and her need to stay awake, and her game of guessing who owns the clouds.

It's spellbinding and beautiful, the artwork reminiscent of vintage advertisments but lovingly rendered. While the story itself is simple, the story is full of layers-- each one peeled back to reveal another heartbreak. It touches base on PTSD, coping mechanisms, and the way childlike innocence can protect a child from understanding horrors.

Through the eyes of a young girl, the confusion, trauma and suffering of war are depicted as her family flees for safety.

The illustrations, mostly in black and white set a dark tone, and evoke the emotions felt by the girl as she navigates this tragic time.

I would recommend as a guided read aloud to students around the impact of war. Suitable for younger readers yet will engage older ones as well.

Although this book did not download correctly, it was good enough for me to want to buy the real version. It is heartbreaking, dreamlike , haunting and beautiful. The illustrations perfectly mirroring the sparce text. Glad the ending was As it was.

4 stars

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

Mila is just nine years old when her family is forced to evacuate the ruins of their bombed-out town. Her mindscape is filled with impossibly long lines, stray cats, black and white clouds drifting overhead, and a sinister arms factory on the outskirt of the city, which she never manages to pass. She is tired - so tired! - yet resists sleep because "[T]he world grew a little harsher when I wasn't looking." Now in her thirties, Mila recounts those draining, nightmarish days - memories that are at once so far away and yet so near her consciousness.

WHO OWNS THE CLOUDS? is a curious beast - it's presented almost like a picture book for kids, but its themes are quite adult in nature. I've read it cover-to-cover several times now, and I'm pretty sure I'm still missing more of the philosophical nuances. It's an enigmatic rumination on the nature of memory and long-term effects of trauma, especially as related to war and the refugee experience. The artwork is kind of quaint, with an old-timey feel that makes me think of the Holocaust (maybe it's the muted colors, save for pops of red: red leaves, a red clown nose), although I don't think the book is tied solely to WWII.

This short graphic novel will be published in English as <i>Who Owns the Clouds?</i>, a direct translation of its title in the original French, in January of 2023. And you should either keep an eye on the release date or pre-order it.

It's beautiful, heartwrenching, dreamlike, and profound in its simplicity. In an unnamed location in Europe during WWII, Germany is carrying out its rounding up of Jews for deportation to extermination centres, and we see the process of waiting to be deported from the point of view of a young girl in the queue at the station. At first, you wonder if the girl is awake or dreaming, and what is going on. Is she waiting for the cattle cars that'll take her to the gas chambers? Is she already there and just waiting outside the "showers" to be gassed and cremated? Or is she dreaming of all this and she'll wake up to realise it all has been a horrific nightmare? You will have to draw your own conclusions.

The text is so very sparse, merely a line or two per page, but for all its barebones simplicity, Brassard delivers the punch perfectly. I haven't seen so much conveyed across with so little! I can see it all without being told, the train station, the concentration camp, the crematorium... The girl doesn't know, but you as reader do know, and you'll be horrified at realising what you've just been told. The horror is in realising the things left unspoken. The girl may be an innocent with not much knowledge, but you aren't; you know.

I was prepared to be stabbed in the heart as the story, which is short, approached its finale, so I was rather surprised and a bit taken aback by that ending. It's not a bad finale, but it does leave the mystery as to whether the girl was awake or dreaming up in the air, and you are left with questions as to how exactly that ending was possible for the girl. Nonetheless, I liked her optimism, her touching way of counting the clouds and assigning them "owners" based on colour and shape. It's sad but shows her spirit as well.

Oh, and although it's not meant for children specifically, I believe it would be an excellent resource for teaching them about the Holocaust through a story whose metaphors they would definitely grasp.

A masterpiece.

A little creepy but mostly sad and heartbreaking.

The artwork is phenomenal. The story depicts war and suffering through the eyes of a young lonely girl.

I will remember this book forever.

Thank you, Penguin Random House Canada, for the advance reading copy.

I adore the artwork and the feel of this book, it's different and I can see the ache in it.
However there wasn't much substance or flow so I felt the lacking of knowing what was happening or how painful memories could have been.