The Police Cloud

Having dreamed of being a police officer since the time he was a tiny puff, the diaphanous hero of this sweet little picture-book is at first delighted when his friend, the police helicopter, convinces the chief to give him a job. But a series of disasters - the cloud inadvertently aids a burglar in his escape, causes a car accident, and ruins everyone's day at the park - leads to the heartbreaking realization that it is not to be. Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining (sorry, couldn't resist!), and the tearful cloud discovers that another heroic occupation is open to him...

I don't know that I would ever have picked up Christoph Niemann's The Police Cloud, had I not seen it discussed in Leonard S. Marcus' article, "Back to the show more Future: Retro picture books — déjà vu all over again?" (to be found in the January/February 2010 edition of The Horn Book Magazine), where it is described as an example of the revival of the "Constructivist" style in picture-books. I'm glad I did, as I appreciate the message implicit in the story - that when one door closes, another opens - and thought the book was rather sweet. That said, I'm not sure I really see the "Constructivism" in it (the style seemed more reminiscent of the 1950s, to me), as clearly as in other examples Marcus cited, such as The Orange Book. Still, it's an interesting exercise, tracking down these titles, and seeing whether I can see what the critic has... show less

This book has bright and very simple images along with simple text. This is a sweet story with some funny moments and cute illustrations. The moral of the story is "You may not get exactly what you want, but something better might come along." The illustrations perfectly underscore the story, allowing the children to infer what might happen next without any over-explanations. Also, the illustration of the angry parkgoers makes me laugh out loud.