I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really cute book. Both the pictures and the story were adorable!

"Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain" follows Cotton Clouds journey to make and keep its people happy. Along the way we learn about different kinds of clouds and that rain isn't something sad but something important to keep things healthy. It was a fun and informative read that we really enjoyed.

Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain is one of my favourite picture books I've read for the year! Elizabeth F. Hill explains the important role of each entity; from clouds, to wind, to the sun, to water. This story is a wonderful way to explain to children the science behind the water cycle and the importance of rain; and how the lack of rain impacts nature and humans. I especially love how the text deals with and shows the different personalities of the characters and how their behaviours impact mother nature; and how Cotton Cloud comes to a wonderful resolution.

Hannah George's illustrations are a perfect match to the text, so rich in colors and the layouts are beautiful! There are so many things to notice and observe, so many expressions and I love how we see the visual impact of Cotton Cloud withholding the rain; on the humans, the ground, the waterfall and the crops.

This is a great book and I learned so much from it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain is a cute story about a little happy cloud who, despite the pressure to rain, stubbornly refuses to do so. In the book, kids will learn about different types of clouds through charming characters like Cirrus and Cumulus. Cotton Cloud also learns the importance of rain and its role in nature. The story subtly introduces these concepts in a fun way, making it perfect for young learners who prefer stories over traditional educational methods.

What I particularly liked about the book is its supporting characters, who each try to explain to Cotton Cloud why rain is so important. My 3-year-old son loved the colorful illustrations and found Cotton Cloud to be a funny and relatable character (probably due to his stubbornness lol). He enjoyed the playful dialogue and often asked questions about clouds while we read together.

Overall, this book is great for read-alouds, classrooms, and libraries as an introduction to clouds through a cute story. As a nonfiction fan, I think an extra educational section in the back with all the cloud types would have been a great bonus!

This is such a cute story. I love the illustration and art style. It’s a good lesson about why it’s important to do things even if it might not be as fun.

What a sweet book! Cotton just wants to make everyone happy! This is a good book to show what can happen when there is too much of a good thing. The book is pretty and tells a great story. From a science teachers point of view it's a great introduction to rhe water cycle.

Thank you tomNet Galley for this e-copy of Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain by Elizabeth Hill.Cotton the Cumulus Cloud loves to make people happy.When he is in the sky people are able to enjoy outside activities but he soon learns that without rain people can’t survive.Will he do the right thing and bring rain to the earth? Read the book and find out.Great informative book for early readers about the different types of clouds .

And we’re back with another children’s book that will most certainly require a parent to help their kiddo read! Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain by Elizabeth F. Hill was exceedingly cute, had a great story with a nice message, and best of all was quite educational. This is the sort of kid’s book I’d highly recommend to curious readers, the sort who are eager to learn all they can about the world around them. All of that said, this is definitely not the kind of book you can just put in front of an emerging reader—the vocabulary is, quite simply, too high.

There are a ton of words in here that a new reader won’t be able to decode—many of them related to the types of clouds that exist, but there are others as well—and, even more so, these vocabulary words aren’t always fully explained. I do think there’s a lot of potential for education here with your kiddos, but you have to be around to explain what the different types of clouds are for them to understand because otherwise it simply feels like a character name.

I loved the illustrations and the overall theming of the story. The characters were lovely and fun. In the end, the best part is how the story illustrates the impact and importance of rain.

This is a super cute book with beautifully colourful pictures that will definitely catch little readers eye!

Cotton is a very stubborn rain cloud who refuses to rain and ruin everyone's day but with the help of their friends they learn the importance of showing emotions and using their strengths to help others.

Overall a really cute picture book.

Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain by Catherine Eden is a gentle story about grief, vulnerability, and the courage to let go—told through a cloud that can't rain. A beautiful blend of emotion and weather science for kids.

I read this to my 5 year old, after I read it myself initially. The writing style felt very reminiscent of The Little Engine That Could and the storyline feels similar, in a really good way. My 5 year old really liked it. He said his favorite part is when it finally rained. The illustrations were wonderful. The colors were vibrant where they should be; the scenes were full of stories. The people in the background were interesting to look at as we read the book. To see these people, Cotton's people, and their emotions around the weather. Teaching the different types of clouds in an easy to understand way for the PreK to younger elementary school age children was a wonderful idea. They get a quick and easy to understand introduction to the fact that clouds don't just look different at times, but they actually are different and have different functionality.

Cotton is learning what it means to be a cloud, however, she is too focused on making everyone happy. She isn't open minded and believes anything other than a sunny day is a bad thing. Cotton, like many people new to something, believes she knows it all and is to set in her way/stubborn to notice what is actually happening around her. Once Cotton opens her eyes and is able to see what the lack of rain does to her people, Cotton is filled with remorse. She shows compassion. She sees the burden she's put on the Sun & Wind this whole time, by being selfish and not raining. She then thinks she's failed by showing compassion just to find she's actually continued to make the people happy even when she rains.

The characters remind me so much of the characters in The Little Engine that could and I think a lot of that has to do with the illustrations. While not the exact same, Nimbo's image on one of the pages really reminds me of the weary old engine who couldn't pull the train up the mountain, though the characters' personalities are not the same.

Overall I think this is a good story. It teaches an easy to understand lesson, is an appropriate length for the age level, has engaging illustrations, and is well written. I think libraries and classrooms would really benefit from this book.

A cute book about a cloud that doesn't want to rain because rain makes people sad. Then the cloud realizes the importance of rain. I sweet story with excellent illustrations that sneaks in knowledge without children noticing.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

This book was adorable. First, I loved how the different clouds, geographical features, solar system items, and so forth each teach Cotton Cloud what they do, I like how Cotton Cloud wants things to go right and everything to be nice. I thin children and adults can both relate to that. I appreciated how at the end when Cotton Cloud rains that it teaches Cotton Cloud how important rain is to the circle of life, but also how sometimes things do rough or bad, but on the other side is something beautiful and worth getting to. This book was both educational and taught valuable lessons for little ones. The illustrations are hard to see on a Kindle, but what I could make out of them, they looked very nice. I would love to add this to my children's book collection or buy it for a shower.

This was a cute story that blended the science of clouds with cute graphics. It showed readers the different types of clouds and how they differentiate from each other. It also showed the importance of the difference clouds and how they tie into both rain and climate. The artworks was colorful and fitting for the scenes they depicted. Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This book is going to make you really happy. The bright colours and delightful illustrations are just so sweet.

I was impressed with how well this book fits in with the primary curriculum, at least here in B.C. where we always learn about weather -- it's the perfect addition to a weather/environmental unit.

It teaches young kids the importance of rain and how it affects the environment in a fun, low-key, non-preachy way.

While Cotton Cloud definitely goofs up, it comes from the best place -- her desire to make sure all the people are happy. While she's very stubborn and won't listen to Nimbostratus, the way she finally realizes her mistake is endearing and very relatable.

I think primary kids will love this little gem.

What a wonderful book. I got my 8 year old daughters to read this and they loved it. I thought it was a great educational story done in a fun way. The illustrations were lovely. Would definitely recommend this book.

Here’s a delightful little book about a cloud that quivers at the thought of raining because it believes rain makes people feel blue. As the story unfolds, the cloud discovers the crucial role rain plays in our world! It’s a charming tale filled with lovely illustrations that cleverly teach kids without them even realizing it. This book beautifully illustrates what can happen when something good is in excess. It’s a fantastic way to introduce the water cycle to young readers! I received a complimentary e-copy of this book and read it with pleasure. I was under no obligation to leave a positive review. Thank you, Rosen Publishing Group,
Windmill Books and NetGalley.
#NetGalley #CottonCloudRefusestoRain

Jumping right into this review, the main thing I enjoyed about this book was the organization. The plot is timed perfectly, and the story is told in a way that makes sense to every reader. Another great thing about this book was how many morals were woven into one central story. It was impressive to see how flawlessly the author fit together all of these messages, while still allowing a lot of cohesion. These lessons are also relevant to the young audience of this book, as readers will learn about balance, harmony, and coexistence, which is great. Lastly, the illustrations did an excellent job of conveying time and change, which caused the story to have a greatly effective impact on readers. Bravo!

“Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain” is a book that is about weather. On another level, it is a book about people pleasing. Cotton Cloud doesn’t want to rain because “rain makes people sad.” Sunny days with a few fluffy clouds are so lovely that Cotton Cloud doesn’t want to change. She resists the advice of wind and another clouds to let go and rain on the people and animals who enjoy the sunny days with her. But life involves learning to dance in the rain. This book would fit with units about weather and units about emotions. I see teaching this book for children who struggle with why they get sad and mad and why they can’t be happy all the time, which compounds their bad moods and makes them grumpier.
For independent readers, this would be a good fit for grades 1 and 2. For classroom reading, this would work for kindergarten through third grade.

This is a cute story about a cloud who just wants to make people happy, so she never wants to rain. However, she learns what happens when there’s no rain. Will she finally rain once she sees the impact of not raining? This is both an informative and enjoyable picture book.