I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Little Clouds Big Dream is a beautiful and educational children's picture book about a little cloud called Re. Re has a big dream to grow as big as the clouds that float over the sea. After a passing cloud informs her of how she can collect water and dew herself and where to gather it from, she starts her journey to become as big as the clouds she so admires. On her journey, she meets a flower whose dew she absorbs, and the pair become fast friends. But Re has gotten so big that she turns into a thunder cloud and ends up storming across the land and sea. She fears her new friend won't like her anymore for what she became and even worse won't recognise her now she's a small cloud again after the storm and water has drained back out of her. But the flower still recognises Re and accepts her for who she is. This was a beautiful story of friendship, chasing your dreams, and a great book to read to explain science, the water-cycle, and weather to children.

This was a sweet book! It would be a great resource for learning about the water cycle and how clouds form and develop. I loved the illustration style. I do wish it had a more consistent rhyming structure; some lines just felt clunky. I don't mind if books don't rhyme at all, but inconsistency is one of my pet peeves.

Re, the little cloud with big dreams, takes readers on a delightful and imaginative adventure in this beautifully crafted story about growth, change, and even a little about friendship. This was such a fun read with an engaging narrative and stunning illustrations.

The story follows Re as she dreams of becoming as big as the clouds over the sea. Her journey of collecting dew and growing larger is both enchanting and educational, offering a creative and accessible introduction to the water cycle for younger readers. Along the way, Re befriends a lovely flower, adding a heartfelt layer of connection and emotion to the tale. When Re grows into a thunderstorm, the dramatic transformation adds excitement and a touch of suspense, brought back to a comforting and accepting response from Flower. It was a well placed message about acceptance and identity.

The illustrations truly shine, capturing the whimsical and playful nature of the story. The vibrant and imaginative artwork brings Re’s journey to life, from her beginnings as a tiny cloud to her bold transformation into a thunderstorm. Each page is a visual treat, filled with fun and charm that will captivate young readers and adults alike.

Overall, this is a fantastic read for children, combining an engaging story with whimsical illustrations and an important message about growth and change. Perfect for storytime, this book will leave readers smiling and looking at clouds in a whole new way.

Review will be live closer to the release date (March 4)

Thank you NetGalley and NorthSouth Books for this E-ARC of "Little Cloud's Big Dream" by Ixtzel Arreola, releasing March 11, 2025.

The illustrations in this book are really beautiful. This book would be a great addition to a classroom library for students to explore or for a read aloud. It also would be great for any home libraries or to be given to a kid as a gift! I also love that this can be tied to science and talking about the water cycle which is one reason it makes it great for a classroom!

Defintely check out this book when it releases on March 11, 2025

An absolutely adorable book! With its beautiful art, rhyming and message, it makes me wish I had this to read when I was a child. It’s perfect for younger readers or would make a great bedtime story to be read.
The message of you being you no matter what is so important for young impressionable minds.

Incredible imagination of one's aspiration to become big and yet again seeing downside in life but our true friends always remain friends forever. All this has been shown with the help of a water cycle.

A little cloud once dreamt to become bigger cloud like the once over ocean. She while passing by met with flower who adsorb dew over its petal. On flower's request that little cloud absorb by evaporating the dew and hence those two became friends. Her dilemma of how she become bigger solved by that flower friend and she went on to absorb more water to make herself bigger cloud. But one day when she started to storm, she realised that she became smaller again. But this is how water cycle works, right?

Overall, this is a very creative work on letting the children learn the environment and make their learning way easier and in a fun manner with the moral that we always have to go through ups and downs if we have to become bigger. With big power comes bigger responsibilities.

This is the story of a little cloud named Re. With the help of a bigger cloud Re learns to collect water by going near water sources like lakes and rivers. Along the way she makes friends with a flower. And of course Re eventually gets so big and heavy they must rain. The illustrations are beautiful and the story of the water cycle through the eyes of Re can be useful in a science lesson for preschoolers or younger grades.

The sweet little cloud has a big dream, and learns how to become a big cloud and travel around stoming and raining. When she becomes small again, she goes back to her friend, and their friendship is still strong. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This is a sweet story of a cloud with a dream to be bigger. Along the way she makes some friends and realizes you can still be you after changes.
Beautiful illustrations.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Pretty art with very warm colors. It is a story of a Cloud who wants to be so much more than it is. I really enjoyed the art style and I think my kids would have enjoyed this story.

4 stars

A beautiful tale of dreams that are realized and change you, and through it all—whether you are seeking your dream, achieving it, or experiencing the aftermath of realizing your dream—you are always you. Told through a cloud who wanted to grow, who soaked up morning dew and flew over lakes, and grew to a storm, then fell as rain, this story is delightful and poetic in both its use of language and of art. The illustrations take you on a visual journey of joy, change and friendship that is a delight. The words effortlessly rhyme for the majority of the book, and there is a magical imagination that will draw young readers into questions of nature and the weather and how clouds become rain. While this story is more magical than scientific, cultivating that curiosity in a young mind is the beginning of science. But, most through these pages, there is a narrative that no matter what changes, what comes and what passes, you are always you and that is special.

What a wonderful story about a cloud named Re and how they dream of becoming a big cloud. With the words of advice from another large cloud, Re sets off to collect dew and water to make themselves bigger. Along the way, Re finds a friend in a small flower. Soon, Re gets too big and begins to rain. In the end, Re is just a small drop of dew on their friend the flower, and the flower shares that no matter their size, Re is still Re.

I think the message of the story is wonderful, and an added bonus is that you can watch Re travel through the entire water cycle. I absolutely love the illustrations in this book; they’re what initially drew me to the story. I can see many caregivers and teachers picking this story off the shelf just from the cover art alone. I think this book would make a wonderful addition to any classroom.

The only improvement I would suggest is that while most pages rhyme beautifully, some of the rhymes don’t flow as nicely, and the first page doesn’t rhyme at all, which could make a read-aloud less enjoyable for little ones.

Thank you, NetGalley, Ixtzel Arreola, and Children's Fiction for providing an eARC for my honest review.

Little Cloud's Big Dream is a cute picture book with a teaching moment on how clouds become storm/rain clouds. The book contains lovely illustrations, which are the highlight of the book.

The story, to me, wasn't that fun but at least it provided some simple science about clouds for preschoolers.

Little Cloud's Big Dream was an okay read for me. Two stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from NorthSouth Books through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

This is such a heartwarming story! I loved the illustrations and the meaning behind the plot. I think it's great to teach about rain, clouds and weather, but also about changing as a person. The rhymes give it a nice flow when reading aloud.

The idea of this is really fun. It teaches kids about how clouds are formed and the cycle of water in the atmosphere. The relationship between the cloud and the flower is simple and not distracting.

I received an advance review copy for free from the publisher via Netgalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Loved how this book shared science and a way to metaphorically process emotions and reset; beautifully told and illustrated and would be excellent for teachers, play therapists, school counselors and families.

Some stories captivate children not only with their words but with the meaningful conversations they inspire. Little Cloud's Big Dream is one of those books. This sweet tale follows the journey of a small cloud with big aspirations—to grow. Along the way, Little Cloud learns from other clouds, sparking curiosity and wonder in readers young and old.

Reading this book with my 5-year-old son Tommy was a delightful experience. The story naturally led us into conversations about rain, storms, and even the water cycle. It’s a wonderful starting point for introducing children to concepts of change and nature in a way that’s approachable and engaging, specially if they are curious. It was a great tool to start and we continued days later talking about it and watching YouTube videos about the rain. We are experiencing rainy season here in Medellín right now so it came on the right time to have these conversations.

The illustrations by Martina Liebig deserve special mention. They are both beautiful and detailed, capturing the attention of little readers. I’ve always believed that for children, illustrations are just as important as the story, and this book excels at both. The vibrant yet calming visuals perfectly complement the narrative, making it a joy to explore every page.

Little Cloud's Big Dream is not only an enjoyable story but also a tool for sparking curiosity and learning. I highly recommend it for parents and teachers looking to combine reading time and education.

This is a lovely tory about friendship and growth. The illustrations are beautiful and I live children's books with lines that rhyme. Thank you NorthSouth Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from NorthSouth Books Inc. through NetGalley.
Arreola takes readers through the water cycle with a charming small cloud who yearns to be bigger. Finally, she asks a big cloud how to grow. We see her listen, learn and grow very large. She finds a friend in a flower when she takes away the dew so the flower can see. Then rain comes from her and she loses most of her moisture as a big storm. Finally, she is tiny again and the flower still reminds her she is herself no matter her size. Clever way to introduce young readers to the water cycle. The illustration are softly drawn and bring the story to life.

All in All beautiful!
In fact, it not only shows how nature circles work, it also carries our deepest spiritual truth that we all are one, constantly transforming, transmuting, becoming, but still are WE.
Truely satisfying. Hoepfully soon to be available in German!


#thankyou

Eine von Uns at Thalia