Overview

The Cloud That Covered My Head is about a young boy named Benjamin Green who prefers to stay in bed and dream rather than get up in the morning and go to school. Waking up Benjamin is a struggle, and any attempt to explain his imaginary world to his parents annoys them. One morning Benjamin wakes up with a cloud around his head, and everyone worries about this strange phenomenon, even the doctor, but Benjamin doesn't mind because his dream world becomes even more exciting and strange. When his dreams take over, it's hard to distinguish between what's real or just made up, and when the weather changes, and the cloud becomes a hindrance, he has time to think about all the other fun things he had done before the cloud covered his head. Benjamin finds a balance in his life, and the conflict is resolved when he gets the best of both worlds: he can dream and he can also play with friends, and his imagination is unharmed. The cloud is a metaphor for everything that childhood represents: the freedom to imagine and believe--something the adults have forgotten to do or don't have time to do in their busy lives. But maybe Benjamin has taught them a thing or two about dreaming. Artist Nino Balita helps bring to life Benjamin's extraordinary dreams; his color-filled, intricate details enrich the meaning of each page in the book, and encourage a second look.