A gentle read with a meaningful message.

With rhyming couplets and simple text the story is beautifully enhanced and lifted further by colourful and expressive illustrations. With memorable characters in the little cloud and his new found friend.

It was inspired by the author’s own illness and time spent away from loved ones. A visual metaphor of feelings that translates wonderfully into a children’s story. The author has empathy and understanding which breathes life into her words written from her heart.

I loved the idea of collecting tears in a bottle; almost a counter intuition suggestion against bottling up your emotions. It is good to cry but so much better to cry on a friend’s shoulder and feel a warm embrace and know you are safe.

While I may have fallen back upon cliches and expected language this is in contrast to the actual story in this little book. It is a journey with hope and encouragement, informative, engaging and an enduring hope.

My grandchild love the story and looking at the simple drawings, finding the odd heart within some pictures. But we all need to be reminded it is normal to experience low times and periods of sadness. Sadly within friends and family we sometimes forget the range of emotions and it is good to have a book to help us reflect and share simple truths within everyone’s grasp. Perhaps we all need helping hands and arms to hug and appreciate loved ones.

How Sweet! This is a wonderful children's book that can help little ones to not be afraid of their emotions. I enjoyed this and think it would be a good book for children.

This precious short tale brought weeping for both sadness and joy, as author and illustrator combine talents to incite inspiration for those moments all humans undergo: be it due to loneliness, grief, heartbreak, illness, betrayal, loss. Before the tale is finished, the reader feels both enlightened and uplifted. A special little tale this is, indeed!

The Tale of The Little Black Cloud is about a cloud and his duck friend. The cloud is having lots of big feelings and the duck helps it to understand that big feelings are okay and there are ways to work through them, sometimes with the help of a friend. This would be a helpful SEL book for kiddos. The rhyme scheme makes the content easy to absorb and the illustrations are very soft.

Thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for an eARC of this book for an honest review.

Thank you, Karen Brough and NetGalley for the early preview of this Children’s picture book.

Title: The Tale of the Little Black Cloud
Author: Karen Brough
Brief Description: A short picture book that tells the tale of a little black cloud dealing with some heavy feelings. But, the little black cloud finds that a friend helps lift them from their low place.

Review: This book is a great way to show kids in a story that having heavy feelings are normal and okay. Sharing feelings with a friend can help lift that heavy load and make you feel better. When I was reading this, I was happy to think of this book as an addition I want to make to my son’s little library.

I believe this book is appropriate for children above the age of 2. It has beautiful and simple art on each page that draws attention to a focal point of the story. The story carefully rhymes, but doesn’t leave you feeling tongue-twisted with wordiness.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This is a sweet story about having someone to talk to when you’re sad. The underlying message is allowing Jesus to comfort you when you’re sad. It never says that in the book, but I have a strong feeling that’s what it’s implying. I loved that, as a Christian, and could talk with my daughter about always having someone to care for her whenever she needs a friend. I was not always the biggest fan of the rhyming, but I can’t tell if I was out of rhythm.

Beautiful read learning about emotions and showing a helping hand. The illustrations paired well with the book.

This is a super cute book that I would recommend for anyone with littles. It shares that it is ok to have bad days, cry, and share your feelings. The cloud becomes lighter after sharing his emotions with a friend. I loved the message. It is also a great book for young ones to work on finding hidden hearts throughout the book and identifying what they see. It held the attention of my 2 and 4 year old!
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many is the book that talks of unhappiness, upset, grief or any combination of similar emotions, by literally presenting a dark cloud. Here we get one more, with a black cloud crashing to earth in the heaviness of its waters and the greyness of its mood. Along comes a duck, who confirms and affirms and reaffirms that the cloud has friends and is not alone – heck, the duck even literally bottles up some of its tears, which is a bit quackers – and the cloud is cheered up enough to rise to the blue skies above once more. Yes, this is all thoroughly obvious, and predictable, and very little that is new – but the way it is presented with a gentle and pleasant art style, and pretty strong verse for the entire narrative, makes this a distinguished picture book all the same. I would query the use of cursive here and there and words on a slanted line, as not being of much use to people with certain reading issues, but otherwise this is pretty flawless, and doesn't bog itself down with any needless words, so it would be fine to recite aloud and share. I currently have nobody to share this with, but I am happy to share my thoughts that this is pretty exemplary stuff – four and a half stars.

I thought this story was gentle and perfect to read to my toddler. She's going through a lot of big feelings, so I can see coming back to this book. Plus, we both loved the illustrations which were whimsical.

The Tale of the Little Black Cloud is a heartwarming children’s story that portrays sadness that everyone faces at one time or another and how sharing your feelings with a loved one will help ease the burden.

The story language is simplistic enough to allow little readers or listeners to understand that even though you may feel sad or lonely, sharing them with a loved one will make the feelings feel lighter and less troublesome when they can share in a safe environment.

My little ones enjoyed the story and my eldest felt it was a good time to share what had been making him sad lately and at the end of the talk, he was feeling happier that he shared. We always make the effort to have discussions about our feelings, but this was a good reminder that sometimes you just feel sad over small things that pile up.

I love the idea of the bottle, since more often than not people tend to bottle up their emotions.

The illustrations are adorable and are a beautiful addition to bringing the story to life for the kids.

I did feel that sometimes the sentences were a little choppy in an effort to maintaining the rhyme within, so it was a bit awkward to read until you got into the flow.

So many adults (particularly ones who don’t have children or had them long ago) do not believe that children can be depressed and/or grieve. They can! The death (or incarceration) of a parent or grandparent, divorce, illness, fires, eviction, hunger — so many situations plague our children. How hard to suffer due to factors out of your control!

Poor dark, heavy, snuffly little cloud! Thanks to the cutest duck in Wellington boots, Little Black Cloud gets to share his sorrow — and a sorrow shared is a sorrow halved! This picture book also teaches kids (and adults, I hope!) by example that what the sad want is friendship and a listening ear, not unsolicited advice. Illustrator Lori Boag hides little hearts throughout the book for little ones to find. A wonderful, wonderful book for young and old.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.

The artwork in this book is simple but beautiful, and fits the story perfectly. The story itself was very well done. The rhyming lines give it a good flow, and it’s simple and easy to understand for little kids, but with an important and meaningful message.

The Tale of the Little Black Cloud is a delightful and heartwarming children’s book that carries an important message about self-acceptance and finding your place in the world.

The story follows a little black cloud as it navigates feelings of loneliness and learns that even small, seemingly unimportant things can have a big impact. The language is simple and accessible, making it perfect for young readers, while the message resonates with both children and adults.

The illustrations are charming and beautifully complement the story, bringing the little black cloud’s journey to life. It’s a great book for sparking conversations with kids about emotions, belonging, and how everyone has something special to offer.

This would be a lovely addition to a child’s bookshelf or a classroom library, and it’s sure to be a favorite for bedtime reading!

I'll start by saying, the illustrations in this book were absolutely GOERGOUS. The story was so sweet, I loved the message behind it.

This book was so wonderful! It shows great ways to handle sadness and depression in an age-appropriate way. This also shows how to support another person who is going through these things to be a good friend. The illustrations fit the story perfectly as well. I would love to get a copy of this for my classroom when it is published.

As an educator, this book seems like a great tool to help teach students how to support one another while normalizing the negative emotions students may feel, which can allow them to feel more comfortable with asking for help.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for the digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased, honest review of the book.

This book was a nice read. It had cute illustrations and the story line was well portrayed through the characters. It tells the story of a little black cloud and how it goes from being sad to happy with the help of a bird. Wonderful book and I recommend it for children who are learning about emotions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Karen Brough for letting me receive a digital copy to review.

Being a child is hard, especially when you have so many emotions with no way to properly express them no matter how hard you try. The Tale of The Little Black Cloud by Karen Brough helps children learn the tools helpful in the process of expressing one's self, even if those feelings aren't necessarily the brightest or most positive. A very great lesson for parents to teach to their kids with lovely illustrations to hold little attentions.

Insanely healing and inspiring! At my ripe age of 20, I am still learning how healing it is to talk about my feelings to others. This book displays the importance of letting go of all our big emotions that are weighing us down. It’s very important for children and adults to have people they trust to share their feelings to, and this book explains that beautifully and alongside stunning illustrations!

This is a sweet tale about a chick comforting a black cloud. The chick listens and affirms the clouds feelings, naming his emotions, until the cloud feels better and is able to float away.
The rhyme is well done and seems effortless, I liked the font used for the text. The illustrations were beautiful and paired nicely with the text.

I loved reading this to my son. I think it’s so important for children to be able to understand and express their feelings without fear.

On top of the message, the words flowed well and made the book enjoyable to read. I loved the different fonts and formatting and the illustrations were beautiful.

Thank you!

The illustrations are absolutely stunning, Overall, the book was well written and I did really enjoy it. Thank you for this advance reading copy!

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. It was well written and would be very helpful to young children to explain about how feelings affect you.

The Little Black Cloud is weighed down by his worries and troubled by tears. Discover how his overwhelming day turned about with surprising results. Join the Little Black Cloud on a touching journey through the sky, where friendship and understanding await. This was such a comforting and cozy read for me! As a psychology student who works with kids, this is going to be such a great book to share with them.

This is a beautiful book and really adeptly communicates to young people how relying on others for emotional support is not a weakness but a strength.

This was the sweetest story that my daughter and I enjoyed repeatedly. The conversations that followed were so meaningful. It's important for children to know it's okay to have big feelings and let the tears flow. This will be a staple in our home.

The Tale of The Little Black Cloud is such a beautiful book about feeling sad, missing others, and the importance of friendships. It carries a really important message, showing that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed by emotions and that sharing those feelings can make everything feel lighter. The Little Black Cloud is weighed down by his sadness, but as he opens up and connects with others, he discovers that his worries can be lifted. The story is simple but powerful, reminding kids that they’re never alone, even when things feel tough.

The illustrations in this book are lovely and complement the story perfectly, with soft colors that create a warm, comforting feeling. However, I did find that some of the fonts, while aesthetically pleasing, might be a bit difficult for younger children to read. It’s not a dealbreaker, especially since this book is probably best read aloud, but it’s something to consider when choosing this for younger readers.

Overall, this book is a wonderful way to help kids understand that it’s okay to feel sad and express their emotions. It’s full of heart, with a comforting tone that both children and adults will appreciate. A perfect addition to any child’s bookshelf!

My little girl loved this one and I loved the message behind it, as well. She was sad that the cloud was crying but was so happy when the cloud was happy! It kept her engaged and she loved it. Thank you NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This book is important because it teaches young kids that it is ok to be sad sometimes. That is a very important lesson for children to learn. I especially liked the illustrations in this book.

This book is so incredibly sweet. The illustrations are very cute, but the message is what steals the show here. The rhyming scheme is fun and easy to follow for kiddos and their grown ups. The affirmations you hear in the book like “you are loved” and “you are cared for” are so important and impactful for young children to hear, and a great reminder of language caregivers should be using as well. I also love that it not only promotes friends meeting you where you’re at, but also being with you along to way to healing. The relationship between this duck and cloud are to be envied by most relationships between people. High recommend!