#181 of 1001 · January 28, 2021

Enjoy this delicate fable of opulence and modesty, of avarice and temperance: Michael Catchpool and @alisonjay17’s The Cloud Spinner. A young boy lives alone in a little house atop a hill. To pass the time, he spins thread from passing clouds overhead and weaves it into exquisite cloth, a gift his mother taught him long ago. When a pompous king learns of this extraordinary talent, he conscripts the boy into his service, demanding garment after garment to appease his own vanity. When the supply of clouds dwindles and the sky is left barren, only an act of kindness and generosity can save the land and the people from environmental ruin. Catchpool chooses his words with subtlety and care. The story’s refrain, “Enough is enough and not one stitch more,” serves as a powerful call for moderation without ever becoming distractingly moralistic. The repeated mentions of the boy’s mother in the past tense (coupled with her stark absence in the present storyline) leave readers to draw their own conclusions. Jay’s signature technique (warm shades of alkyd paint on thick cartridge paper, with a crackle varnish applied to the finished composition) produces a fascinating contrast with her modern character design, establishing a visual style simultaneously classic and contemporary. #cloud #clouds #spinner #spinning #weaving #cloth #sky #magic #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks