Ron Barrett (1) (1937–)

There are several reasons why I like this book. The writing and language of the story is imaginative and full of events. I was never bored while reading this book, but was anticipating what crazy event would happen next. I think we have all dreamed of living in a town where food fell from the sky and we could eat whenever we wanted. The story was very appealing to the senses because it makes your mouth water as you read. For example, “it rained soup and juice, it snowed mashed potatoes and show more gravy, and sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.” The illustrations also appeal to the senses because they depict the deliciousness of the food. On one page, a man has an umbrella filled with gravy and on another page there is a pile of mashed potatoes the size of a mountain. During the entire story, they discuss the food like they discuss the weather. “Periods of peas and baked potatoes were followed by gradual clearing, with a wonderful jell-o setting in the west.” This descriptive language made me feel like I was living in the town. The story was extremely well developed because it tells you about the pleasant parts of living in the town then shifts to the dangers. It talks about eating themselves sick and always getting stomachaches and salt and pepper flowing everywhere so people couldn’t stop sneezing. This helped the story flow since it went from the good to the bad, which helped enhance the big idea of the story. The big idea was that things may seem great and fantastic at first, but there is always a downside. Just because something seems like a dream come true and something we have always wanted, doesn’t mean there are no dangers to it. It also tells you that using your imagination can be fun, but be careful what you wish for. show less

I liked this book for two reasons. The first reason I liked this book is because of the compelling artwork. Each illustration brings to life the text on page. As a young reader this was my one of my favorite books because of the outlandish illustrations. I yearned for the day that a large pancake would fall from the sky. Unfortunately, my school was never cancelled due to failing pancakes no matter how hard I wished. The second reason I enjoyed this book is due to the plot. In high school, I show more taught a lesson based on a read aloud of the story. Each page elicited a giggle or laugh, due to the comical plot. The story line is about a town called Chewandswallow. Daily meals are delivered from the sky, with some unexpected consequences. The author writes about food in terms of meteorological events. For example “Periods of peas and baked potatoes were followed by gradual clearing, with a wonderful jell-o setting in the west.” I also enjoyed the pace of story. It starts off casual, but becomes increasingly dangerous as more food rains down from the sky. The big idea of the story is that imagination is important, but it also can get you into trouble. show less

The tiny town of Chewandswallow was very much like any other tiny town except for its weather which came three times a day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But it never rained rain and it never snowed snow and it never blew just wind. It rained things like soup and juice. It snowed things like mashed potatoes. And sometimes the wind blew in storms of hamburgers.

Life for the townspeople was delicious until the weather took a turn for the worse. The food got larger and larger and so did the show more portions. Chewandswallow was plagued by damaging floods and storms of huge food. The town was a mess and the people feared for their lives.
Something had to be done, and in a hurry. show less

When a breakfast mishap ends with pancake all over Henry's face, Grandpa is inspired to tell the story of the small town of Chewandswallow (located "Across an ocean, over lots of huge bumpy mountains, across three hot deserts, and one smaller ocean"), where all of the residents' food needs were once provided for by the local weather. Whether it was raining soup or snowing mashed potatoes, there was always plenty to eat. But as the weather became more and more extreme - nothing but stinky show more gorgonzola cheese one day, destructive giant meatballs that damaged homes another - the residents slowly began to realize that they would have to abandon their town...

Originally published in 1978, this imaginative picture-book reminded me a bit of Alan Stamaty's Who Needs Donuts?, another food-themed picture-book created in the 1970s. In fact, Ron Barrett's detailed engraving-style illustrations were very reminiscent of Stamaty's artwork. That association added to my enjoyment of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, although I have to admit that, generally speaking, I may have missed the boat on this one. I never read this book as a child, and although I believe young readers will appreciate its humorous take on weather gone wild, I wasn't quite as impressed as I expected to be, given its status as a perennial picture-book favorite. Still, I'm glad it was one of this month's selections, over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong, even if it wasn't quite my cup of tea! show less