The book of clouds
Book Details
The book of clouds
Juris Kronbergs, illus. Anete Melece, transl. Māra Rozīte & Richard O’Brien. Birmingham: Emma Press, hb, 9 781 910 139 141, 2018, £10, 80pp.
Poetry, picture book, translation, 7-11 years
This brilliantly illustrated book is an unusual mixture of poetry and scientific fact, interspersed with quirky observations.
It is a very beautiful cloth bound production and the brilliant, sometimes anarchic, illustrations drive the book forwards and stimulate a desire to make creative responses. Indeed there are blank pages to encourage an interactive involvement by the reader – as well as stimulating the need for observation outdoors. The reader will want to make their own cloud diary.
Translated from the Latvian original, both writer and illustrator are well-known in Latvia so it is good to be able to access their work in English.
*This book, together with Queen of seagulls and Everyone’s the smartest, are all published in the UK by The Emma Press who specialize in poetry for children and adults. They have worked with the literary organisations in the Baltic States to apply for grants to help the translation and publication of these titles in Engish in the UK. They are all very well illustrated and many of the illustrators have been involved with the POP UP Baltic States project.
Review by Pam Dix