Head Full of Clouds - by Joanne Schwartz (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A girl wakes up from a dream she can't shake. Her head is full of clouds. When she goes outside, the things she normally doesn't pay much attention to suddenly reveal their beauty: the plants growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, the shimmering puddles, the notes from a violin drifting in the air. She revels in this strangeness of the familiar, and eventually her dream comes back to her in all its surrealness. When she meets a friend, she feels solid and connected again, part of the world -- but she doesn't lose the gifts that this strange morning gave her: the quietly profound wonder of the everyday and the joy of being present."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

From the award-winning author of Town Is by the Sea comes a beautiful and meditative story about seeing the world around you in a new way.

A girl wakes up from a dream she can't shake.

Her head is full of clouds.

When she goes outside, the things she normally doesn't pay much attention to suddenly reveal their beauty: the plants growing in the cracks of the sidewalk, the shimmering puddles, the notes from a violin drifting in the air. She revels in this strangeness of the familiar, and eventually her dream comes back to her in all its surrealness.

When she meets a friend, she feels solid and connected again, part of the world -- but she doesn't lose the gifts that this strange morning gave her: the quietly profound wonder of the everyday and the joy of being present.

Joanne Schwartz's lyrical text and Afsaneh Sanei's gorgeous art are a dreamy pairing that will reward readers with something special in every read.

Review Quotes

"There are many surreal surprises in Sanei's expansive gouache-and-colored pencil illustrations, from recurring remnants of the child's oceanic dream to a topsy-turvy cartwheel scene with slow-motion movements suspended in transparent air bubbles. The poetic text has a stream-of-consciousness quality, made all the more immersive by the second-person point of view narration." --STARRED REVIEW, Booklist

"A contemplative, inviting second-person text and playfully surreal illustrations capture the nature of dreams and the magic of the real world. . . . Sanei's mesmerizing illustrations -- acrylic gouache and colored pencil, finished digitally -- beautifully enhance Schwartz's unhurried, image-rich narrative with surprising perspectives, a lush color palette, and imaginative interpretation of the text." --STARRED REVIEW, The Horn Book

"[Schwartz's] rich descriptions engage all the senses, effectively emphasizing the protagonist's experiences as she wanders through city streets and lush parks. Sanei's heavenly acrylic, colored pencil, and gouache illustrations augment the magical moments described in the text. A skillful use of shadows, reflections, and perspective deepens the young girl's admiration of everyday beauty." --STARRED REVIEW, School Library Journal

"A grounded yet dreamy look at how we occupy our place in this vast world." --Kirkus Reviews

"Schwartz's poetic lines and Sanei's acrylic gouache, colored pencil, and digital artwork encourage attentiveness to the surrounding world in this dreamy picture book." --Publishers Weekly

"This beautifully illustrated fictional picture book explores the experience of getting lost in the world around you -- only to become more present than ever. . . . The flowing, surreal artwork enhances this sense of discovery, drawing readers into a world where small details can be extraordinary. A gentle and meditative read, this book invites children to slow down, observe, and embrace mindfulness through the act of truly seeing and feeling what is around them." --Quebec Library Association

"Head Full of Clouds is for the people watchers, tree huggers, and curious learners. . . . Observant young readers who enjoyed Darren Lebeuf's My Ocean Is Blue or Oliver Jeffers' Meanwhile Back on Earth will recognize the same thoughtful admiration of our beautiful world in Schwartz and Sanei's Head Full of Clouds." --Young Adulting

About the Author

JOANNE SCHWARTZ grew up in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Her first picture book, Our Corner Grocery Store, was a Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award finalist. Her picture book Town Is by the Sea won the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award and was a Governor General's Literary Award nominee and a Boston Globe-Horn Book honoree. Joanne has been a children's librarian for more than thirty years, and she has spent many dreamy days looking at beautiful picture books. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

AFSANEH SANEI is an author and illustrator of children's books who was born in Isfahan, a colorful city in Iran. Afsaneh obtained a Bachelor's of Painting at Tehran University and a Master's of Illustration at the Art University of Tehran. Growing up in a region with ancient and rich history, she has always aspired to apply her country's literary and pictorial heritage in her art. Afsaneh now lives and works in Kent, Ohio.