Cloud Babies

When I saw the names of the author and illustrator on the cover of this book, I knew I was in for a special treat and I was definitely not disappointed.

Erin and her parents love to spot their favourite animals within the clouds – foxes, polar bears and even a dragon! Erin calls them her ‘cloud babies’. One day Erin falls very ill and has to spend a long time in hospital which opens up a whole new, unfamiliar environment for her, even though everyone is very welcoming and friendly and she soon feels safe and comfortable. She still manages to play cloud babies with her Dad and even when they are apart, they can still be together by just looking up through their respective windows.

When Erin is well enough to leave hospital and return to school, she finds that things have changed and she has to readapt to the new world outside of the hospital. Her school friends have grown up while she was away and don’t seem interested in looking for cloud babies, so maybe she is too old for them too? Erin starts to feel like she doesn’t belong properly with either her school friends or her hospital friends and she does miss her cloud babies.

However, Mum and Dad never give up and make a plan to help Erin merge the two parts of her life. Soon Erin is able to share both of her worlds and her cloud babies with all her friends and finds happiness in being herself once more.

This heart-tugging story evolved from both a lockdown project creating cloud drawings and illustrator Chris Judge’s own family experiences of dealing with his daughter’s illness. Master storyteller Eoin Colfer weaves a beautiful tale of comfort and hope for the many families that unfortunately have to inhabit a similar world to Erin.

The illustrations blend captivating photographs of clouds and landscapes with more traditional artwork, including pictures painted by Judge’s own children which adorn the walls of both the hospital wards and Erin’s home.

The personal letter from the author at the start of the book is a lovely touch, as this story aims to create empathy for the young children that have to spend time in hospital, encouraging their friends to understand more about the things they have to go through & how it may feel difficult to belong once more in their former lives.

This is surely a book that should be found in all children’s hospitals and schools around the world.