Head Full of Clouds

Schwartz’s poetic lines and Sanei’s acrylic gouache, colored pencil, and digital artwork encourage attentiveness to the surrounding world in this dreamy picture book. Second-person prose presents the observations of a red-haired, pale-skinned protagonist who awakens with “a little leftover piece of a dream/ floating around.” As the child ventures outside, a city landscape—puddles, plant-filled sidewalk cracks, pigeons—and simple encounters delight (“You bite into an apple./ It tastes so good you write a poem to it”). When the child arrives at a park, varied sensations propel toward an increasingly playful mood, leading to a joyful reunion. Playing effectively with light and shadow, surrealistic illustrations encourage close observing throughout. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4–7. (Mar.)