The Cloudspotter from Tom McLaughlin is a delightfully wistful picture book about friendship and the wonderful past time of cloud spotting.
After some lovely cloud themed endpapers the reader is introduced to Franklin, otherwise known as The Cloudspotter. He doesn’t have any friends, but in his mind that is perfectly ok thank you very much … he has these wonderful clouds to keep him company, along with his fabulous imagination.
‘He spotted adventures in the sky.’
These clouds take him on wonderful adventures from swimming with giant jellyfish, to driving racing cars, there really is so much fun to be had. Most of all, they make The Cloudspotter feel not quite so alone.
When a potential friend appears, in the shape of The Scruffy Dog, bespectacled Franklin is quite sceptical.
‘He wasn’t used to sharing his clouds with anyone.’
No spoilers … but … this does have a lovely, happy ending.
McLaughlin’s old typewriter style typography lends a lovely tone to the narrative. Combined with his soft palette of blues and greens they reflect the whimsical nature of Franklin’s cloud spotting pastime.
The Cloudspotter is just perfect for lazy summer days. Happy cloudspotting!
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