The Clouds Above

By Jordan Crane

Book Overview

On their way through the city to school, Simon and his cat Jack keep taking shortcuts that lead them through fantasy worlds of wooden monsters and insatiable appetites, just for starters. Will they make back home safely? This is undoubtedly one of the more handsome and unique packages in recent memory, with a brilliant graphic novel inside that justifies its elegant format. The Clouds Above calls to mind everything from Where the Wild Things Are to The Wizard of Oz to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, with its depiction of a fantastic world that lurks just around the corner from reality and that only children believe exists.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560979097
• ISBN13: 9781560979098
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.0" x 1.0" x 6.0"
• Age Range: 6 to 9 years
• Grade Range: Grades 1 to 4

Customer Reviews

A Beautiful Imagination

There is so much to say about this book, however I will try and keep it to a minimum. This book is fantastic. It's a short, little book with a story that flows out from the pages and into your imagination, casting you away into childhood. Well, that is, if your childhood contains a talking cat. I thought of how the relationship between the boy and his cat had reminiscent characteristics to the beloved Calvin and Hobbes. However, this story is more fantastical and heart-warming. After reading this, I felt happier and better about myself. I wanted to partake in the same journey the boy does. I recommend this to everyone and show them my copy. The art is beautiful, the story is beautiful. I'm glad I own this.

Bones into snow!

An extremely fun, linear, humorous fantasy in which a boy and his cat go off the beaten path on their way to school only to befriend a cloud, anger the birds, and have a series of adventures. More fantastic than much of Jordan's work, and his line seems to have sharpened. The colors are glorious. Good for children of all ages.

Graphic Daydreaming

Jordan Crane's The Clouds Above is a beautifully designed book and an entertaining graphic novel for kids and adults alike. The book's rectangular shape and inside cover ("This Book Belongs To:") reference old-timey children's books, and this lends a nostalgic or youthful quality to its design. But the narrative itself, with a single panel featured on each page, is a pleasing blend of childlike innocence and dark humor. There's enough to Simon and Jack's story of daydreaming and exploration to keep everyone entertained. Highly recommended, especially to graphic novel fans.

Haunting, charming, kawaii ( & accessible too)

I got this book because I'm a fan of Fantagraphics, yet it's equally true that if I'd come across this square little treasure chest on a table in my favorite East Village boutique I would have been equally entranced. The story is childlike yet not only for children, surreal yet not only for indie hipsters. The Clouds Above is the sort of graphic storytelling where panels will come to mind later, seemingly out of nowhere, etched into the mental landscape. The color palette is also rather unique, and enhances the storytelling. I showed this book to quite a few people, from family members aged 7, 10 and 12, to college students and various adult friends and acquaintances, and all were charmed, for a wide variety of reasons. A wonderful gift book (even a gift for oneself!)

Beautiful book

The Clouds Above is a beautifully designed book. Jordan Crane has an original voice and an interesting approach to characters and storytelling. My only complaint would be that I read it in about tweleve minutes even though its nearly 300 pages. Recommended