Overview

With captivating illustrations, the creator of the acclaimed The Circles in the Sky tells the story of a rat who finds herself in a storm of dark emotions—and discovers the courage to open up to a friend. The air is heavy, and it seems to Rat that the dark clouds gathering overhead echo the jumble of emotions she’s been carrying inside. Running helps, she finds, but when she bumps into a concerned friend, Rat can only run on, deeper into the rain. It’s not until the storm becomes wild and fierce and Rat is too tired to keep running that she meets a lumbering new friend who encourages her to listen for the voice in the storm—and find her own. With luminous artwork layered with pattern and color, Karl James Mountford’s hopeful story highlights the isolation that comes from grappling alone with overwhelming feelings—and the relief that may come after asking a trusted friend for help.

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9781536238884

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Reviews

Children grappling with depression and other intense emotions will feel seen—and held. Mountford couples the heaviness of the story alongside lavender, green, and blue geometric digital art, filled with beauty and coupled with care. . . . Vital storytelling. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Mountford contemplates two serious, related skills in this compassionate book of counsel: recognizing one’s distress, and talking about it with another. —Publishers Weekly

Children grappling with depression and other intense emotions will feel seen—and held. Mountford couples the heaviness of the story alongside lavender, green, and blue geometric digital art, filled with beauty and coupled with care. . . . Vital storytelling. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Author Information

Karl James Mountford is an illustrator who works in both traditional and digital media. He is the creator of The Circles in the Sky and the illustrator of the picture books Maurice the Unbeastly by Amy Dixon and The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth by Ellie Hattie, as well as book covers and chapter illustrations. He lives and works in Wales, where his sketchbooks rarely get a day off.

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