OLGA THE CLOUD

A cloud’s gotta do what a cloud’s gotta do.

Happy Olga just drifts through the sky with a smile on her face as she observes all the sights around and below her. Wanting to rest (and maybe “make a little rain”), she looks around for a suitable location. The moon does not want her. A cat scares her. A mother hen shoos her off. A woman hanging laundry to dry angrily tells her to leave; she doesn’t want any rain on her clean clothing! Finally, Olga receives sage advice from a bird and joins other clouds to do what clouds in company do—“make a big wonderful rain.” It is a happy ending with a moral reminiscent of Leo Lionni’s classic Swimmy. There is strength and purpose in numbers. Costa is Italian, and this title, smoothly translated, is a lovely little tale. The art, rendered in India ink, acrylic paint and pastel, is delicate and appealing. The palette is a lovely assortment of blues for the sky and the water. Animals, trees and happy-faced clouds are all outlined in fine black lines.

A beguiling ode to gentle rain.