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Friday 18 May 2018

Review: Cloud Conductor

Inspiring and full of positive messages, this exquisite book carries themes of strength, courage, patience, hope and the healing power of the imagination.

Frankie is an active and fun loving girl; a leader who lives life to the fullest, and allows her imagination to run free. When she is thrown a challenge in the form of illness, Frankie must wait until she is able once again, to pick up her life.

She sees beauty in everything, ‘even on the darkest of days’. She looks at and listens to the natural world on the other side of her window; sees moving animal shapes in the clouds free and full of life, and imagines herself being that way.

The lush green meadows filled with bright coloured flowers are metaphors for the hope that Frankie holds inside her. Each image carries its own music to her, and she becomes one with it all. While the seasons pass, Frankie waits.

While she waits, she shares her experiences with others so they too, can see through her eyes, the beauty that sustains her.

This emotive story is sad yet filled with joy and hope. It demonstrates how children are able to find ways to embrace life even during the most painful and challenging times. Ann-Marie Finn’s thoughtful illustrations have captured the essence of Frankie’s feelings and how she deals with them.

The use of bold outlines and contrasting colours - darkness for the difficult days, and the flame-coloured autumn leaves for change and progress, are beautifully depicted. The frosted images that represent Frankie’s imagination are brilliant.

Title: Cloud Conductor
Author: Kellie Byrnes
Illustrator: Ann-Marie Finn
Publisher: Wombat Books
Publication Date: May 2018, $24.99
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781925563344
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book