Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Title: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Author: Judi Barrett
Illustrator: Ronald Barrett
Publication Year: 1978
Age Group: Kindergarten, Early Elementary
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Comments: I’ll be honest. I’ve not had a lot of luck reading this book to my kids as preschoolers. It is just a bit too long and wordy for the under 5 crowd in my experience. However, my 6 year old recently stumbled across this book at his grandparents’ house and now I FINALLY understand why it is so widely recommended. We actually have owned this book for years after I picked it up at a garage sale and I’ve tried to read it to him a couple times in the past, but really, he just didn’t have the attention span for it when he was younger. Now that he has the maturity to follow the storyline all the way through, he completely appreciates the outlandish plot. (My four year old daughter on the other hand lost interest and wandered away.)

Also, while I’ve yet to watch it, my 20-something siblings are big fans of the movie version of this book (and the sequel). They’ve watched it with my kids on a couple occasions and everyone seems to love it. I’ve been meaning to add it to our family movie night line-up as it seems like a film that grown-ups and kids can both enjoy.

Recommended By:

1. 1001 Children’s Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up
2. The Read-Aloud Handbook
3. Valerie and Walter’s Best Books for Children
4. The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best Books for Children

Included on Lists:

1. Best Books for Kindergarteners
2. Best Books for Early Elementary