The Clouds Above is a
fantasy graphic novel for children.  It
is vigorously drawn and colored, with one drawing per page.  A little boy Simon and his big cat Jack get
diverted on their trip to school and end up climbing a rickety staircase that
goes all the way to the clouds.  They
meet a giant cloud creature called Perch and he takes them on a ride, where
they end up at school again, getting the better of their cruel teacher.  Jack is a reluctant partner in this
adventure since he does not like getting wet, but little Jack has gumption
enough for the both of them.  It has a
fair amount of charm, even if the story is not particularly memorable and we
never learn much about Simon and his cat. 
Perch is a strange figure because he is so sad, missing the company of
birds.  The cloud cries continually,
raining onto the ground below.  Perch
eventually becomes happy again through his death, when he eventually becomes a
puddle and is reunited with bathing birds. 
So the book has a poignant sensibility mixed in with the antics of the
escapade.  The final emotion of the book
is one of revenge through humiliation, with the teacher hiding under her desk,
thinking her classroom is full of birds, while the children make squawking
noises.  This may leave some parents
disturbed, but child readers will probably love it. 

Link: Fantagraphics
Books

© 2005 Christian Perring. All
rights reserved.

Christian Perring, Ph.D., is
Chair of the Philosophy Department at Dowling College, Long Island, and editor
of Metapsychology Online Review.  His main research is on
philosophical issues in medicine, psychiatry and psychology.

Categories: ArtAndPhotography, Children