A curious child hops on a friendly cloud and has a magical journey flying through the sky. Features delightful watercolors and a bilingual Japanese translation.

Once a baby, now Sora is a boy who explores the world around him. First crawling and then walking, Sora soon learns how to climb a tree. Up there a friendly cloud awaits! Hopping aboard, Sora embarks on a fantastic trip.

Curious birds, squealing kites and whispering fireworks whirl by as Sora and the Cloud share a breathtaking adventure in the sky. Along the way the Sora connects his past experiences with the present, which poignantly underscore how joyful memories of childhood and parenthood bind a family together.

ForeWord magazine: Children's Book of the Year: Bronze Medal Winner - 2011.

An acclaimed artist, Hoshino authors her first picture book, inspired by her own experiences as a mother to her son Sora: a growing boy enjoys the ultimate daydream - to soar like a cloud! This wonderful flight of fancy is created in Hoshino's hallmark style: a unique combination of mixed media creates ethereal environments with subtle shading, and contemplative characters who invoke the innocence of youth.

Empowering themes of self-discovery, familial awareness, and cultural exchange, with colorfully expressive illustrations will prove popular with early elementary readers and teachers. Parents will appreciate the bilingual Japanese translation and informative glossary, which highlight how Hoshino sincerely shares her heritage with readers of all ages and backgrounds.

"It is tempting to label 'Miyazaki-like' anything appealing to children and Japanese in origin. But in this instance the analogy fits." - New York Times

¿Hoshinös ink-and-watercolor spreads both provide historical information and convey the story¿s emotional weight¿and do both with grace.¿ ¿ Publishers Weekly

A noted children¿s artist, Hoshino authors her first picture book, inspired by her own experiences as a mother. The growing boy Sora enjoys the ultimate daydream ¿ to soar like a cloud!

Up in a tree a friendly cloud awaits! Hopping aboard, Sora and the Cloud share a breathtaking adventure in the sky. Birds, kites, and fireworks whirl by, as Sora connects his past experiences with the present. This poignantly underscores how joyful memories of childhood and parenthood bind a family together.

This wonderful flight of fancy is created in Hoshinös evocative style of mixed media. Plus the bilingual Japanese translation highlights the empowering themes of self-discovery and cultural exchange.

"The classic Japanese children's song 'Tako no uta' (or 'Song of Kites') is a cheerful ode to flying. It is also one of many Japanese cultural references embedded in Sora and the Cloud, Felicia Hoshino's rich, clever and appealing book. Offering both English and Japanese text, it is itself a lovely tribute to the joys of soaring high.... It is tempting to label 'Miyazaki-like' anything appealing to children and Japanese in origin. But in this instance the analogy fits. The nameless cloud is a benign yet mysterious and uncontrollable presence as it lifts Sora, Totoro style, into the sky. There he views a skyscraper mid-construction, an amusement park, a festival of kites and other boyish marvels. Hoshino's intricate and delicate drawings deliver this parade of sightseeing pleasures in a way that is at once dreamlike and visceral." - The New York Times

"Sora and the Cloud soars in more ways than one, and is a perfect story to share with very young ones who are starting to look at the world with wonder and amazement." - Paper Tigers

"I loved the illustrations, the writing, and the translation. But the genius in this book is the way it portrays the passage of time... This is the perfect book for a Japanese-English bilingual family, anyone interested in introducing other cultures to their kids, and both Japanese and English monolingual families. I hope this will become a classic, it has all the hallmarks of an award winner." - Perogies and Gyoza