Reviews & Media
“A wonderful picture book with fantastically detailed illustrations! Learn all about the different types of clouds, their roles and relationships to one another, whilst going on a whirlwind adventure. A heartwarming and calming tale of nature, kindness, friendship and doing what’s right.”
A brief interview with Elizabeth F. Hill!
“Cotton Cloud is a lovely story that educates and entertains in equal measure. Elizabeth F. Hill has crafted a story that anyone interested in geography and how weather shapes how we live will adore this book.”
“A heartwarming and important story about being yourself, showing kindness and working together! … The illustrations by Hannah George are fabulous! They are so full of life, bright and engaging! The facial expressions of the cloud make a great discussion point as to how the cloud feels and what has happened to change its feelings. This works fantastically when developing comprehension! This book would be great in any learning environment as it creates space to talk about kindness and nature. Using this book as inspiration, whole school or class projects could be done around working as a team and the importance of everybody’s role. It can also be used to learn about weather systems, the environment and clouds. We have loved reading this over and over, this will be on our shelves for a long time to come!”
A Q&A with Elizabeth F. Hill!
“Beautifully written, with gorgeous, vibrant illustrations, this is a gem of a book, and one that we've really enjoyed reading. With themes of working together and how our actions affect others, this is brilliant for helping children develop empathy. Perfect for use within the classroom, it could be used to inspire a science lesson about the water cycle or a geography lesson about clouds. It could also link in to a topic about the seasons.”
“I love it when a book/story links into a nature interest so that we’re able to combine fact with a story to both enlighten the imagination while being able to explore further … There’s various underlying messages within the story that provoked questions which lead to thoughtful conversations. We discussed what being ‘selfish’ meant and how a persons actions or thoughts can affect others. We also talked about how, in some situations, we have to work together to achieve a desired outcome. We’ve had lots of fun exploring the weather cycle and cloud formations and now look forward to extending this further.”
“The text is easy to read and conveys important information in a child friendly way. We love Hannah George’s illustrations and the way that the landscape changes as the story unfolds and Cotton Cloud Refuses to Rain. The characters are fabulously personified and have wonderful facial expressions! This is a great picture book to use as part of a weather topic in an early years or key stage one classroom. As well as teaching children about the water cycle it can also be used to stimulate discussions about empathy and how our actions, however well intended, can also impact others.”
“A lovely story about the cycle of rain, the absolute necessity of it and the harmony it provides. Young readers will thoroughly enjoy the story of Cotton and the understanding of how joyous a little rain can be!”
“This book is definitely not just another story about the water cycle - it’s about so much more! … This book is a story about team work and empathy, as cloud learns she has to work together with the wind, the sun, the waterfall and the other elements in nature in order to find a balance in it … I love that Cotton Cloud learns that for the greater good she can’t just make decisions based on what she believes will please others, ending up learning about responsibility and the fact that our actions and decisions often have an impact on others … The colourful and expressive illustrations that complement the story are adorable depictions of a community and how they react to the lack of rain for a period of time; the artwork beautifully expresses the negative impact of the unbalanced meteorological elements.”
“Elizabeth F. Hill has written a lovely story which shows how important each aspect of the weather system is, and how each needs to work in harmony to be most effective. It's a great message about teamwork more generally too, and how sometimes tough decisions are actually the right ones. We love @hannahgeorge_draws illustrations of Cotton and her pals, and had great fun spotting our own shapes in the clouds alongside this too. It's also really lovely how Hannah has created a feeling of Cotton's world in the sky and the people below, with the detail changing on the land depending on what's happening above. A great one to read in all weathers!”
“This is a brilliant book, with gorgeous and vibrant illustrations, that can be enjoyed at every level by every member of the family! As a mother, I love that I can use this book to snuggle up and read a lovely story when it’s time to wind down after a hectic day, or that I can use it when the children are more awake and receptive to teach them something… whether it’s the name of the various clouds, the role of the rain, the importance of balance or any of the other lessons that these pages inspire.”