The Cloud Princess

By Khoa Le

“The vivid, brilliant illustrations bring this simple pourquoi tale to life in a highly engaging way,” from the author of Sun and Moon Sisters (School Library Journal).

Cloud Princess lives high in the sky, together with Miss Sun and Miss Moon, but she wants to discover what life on Earth is like. So one day she drifts down to Earth and sees the cars and the flowers and the people that live there. Unfortunately, sinking down to Earth sparks a curious change in her—she begins to turn into water! She dashes back to her home in the sky, but loved Earth so much that she visits every Spring—and brings the rain along with her.

“Le’s illustrations are absolutely stunning, filled with vibrant colors and movement as the Cloud Princess explores. The title character is ethereal yet relatable. Her cloud-hair is delightfully voluminous; her face expresses her initial loneliness and then her curiosity and wonder. The plot has the gentle simplicity characteristic of folktales. The book provides an excellent springboard for discussion about storytelling and how cultures through the ages have used stories to explain their observations of the natural world.” —School Library Journal

“All the sweet expressions and softly variegated colors throughout create delicate visual harmonies. There’s lots of eye candy in individual scenes.” —Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 4, 2017
• ISBN: 9781683831280

Khoa Le

Khoa Le is an illustrator, graphic designer, painter and freelance author. She graduated from Fine Arts University in Ho Chi Minh, where she lives and works. She has authored and/or illustrated 10 books.

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Reviews for The Cloud Princess

[Akun Bersama · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The illustrations is pretty and Iovely. It also explains rain with simple story

[abigailadams26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Cloud Princess wonders about life on the Earth in this original ecological fairy-tale from Vietnamese artist Khoa Le, eventually venturing down to see it herself after hearing it described by Miss Sun. Enchanted by the beauty of what she sees, the Cloud Princess descends lower and lower, until she begins to feel lightheaded, and begins to disintegrate into tiny rain drops. Ascending again, lest she be completely undone, the heavenly princess nevertheless retains her interest in the Earth, visiting again from time to time and bringing the Spring Rain with her...Originally published in Switzerland as Princesse des nuages, this lovely picture-book was translated into English by the California-based Insight Kids. It isn't clear to me, even after doing some research, whether it was also published in its creator's native Vietnam, where she apparently lives and exhibits her work. Leaving that aside, the text of The Cloud Princess is simple and engaging, combining fairy-tale elements reminiscent of mythology - anthropomorphized celestial beings, for instance - with scientific concepts such as rain coming from clouds. The artwork is beautiful, with a vibrant color scheme and sweet, somewhat cartoon-like figures. I was charmed by this first book from Khao Le and, as I understand other titles have recently been translated, plan to seek out more of her work.