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Author Q&A: Please Cloud, Don't Cry Story Insights
Join author Leanne Beardsley for a read-along and Q&A session about her children's book 'Please Cloud, Don't Cry', exploring emotions and nature.
Welcome back to Kids Ask, Authors Answer, a joyful video series where children’s curiosity meets author creativity! Each episode brings together real kids and children’s book authors for a read-aloud followed by spontaneous, unscripted Q&A sessions.
The twist? The authors never see the questions ahead of time, so every answer is genuine, often funny, and always full of heart.
In this episode, hosts Amy Doslich and Samantha (Sam) Howard-Els read Please Cloud, Don’t Cry by Leanne Beardsley, a gentle and imaginative picture book about understanding big feelings and learning to listen with empathy. As kids follow the story, they begin to see that even a gloomy cloud might have a story to tell, and that taking a moment to understand others can change everything.
Perfect for kids learning about emotions and perspective, this episode is filled with thoughtful moments and curious questions, answered by the author herself, about feelings, empathy, and the power of slowing down to truly listen.
Amy Doslich is the author and illustrator behind the beloved Hannah Banana and Mary Berry series, a collection inspired by her two daughters. Her stories are known for their warmth, humor, and family-centered adventures.
Samantha Howard-Els brings her own sparkle as the creator of the Mungo series and Tiny Boo, books that mix kindness, curiosity, and Halloween fun.
This time they’re joined by Leanne Beardsley, who shares what inspired Please Cloud, Don’t Cry, why she wanted to explore emotions through something as simple as a cloud, and what it’s like hearing thoughtful and imaginative questions straight from young readers. Her answers offer a warm, behind-the-scenes look at the story and gently remind kids that every feeling has a place, and that taking time to listen can make all the difference.
The Story of a Girl, a Cloud, and a Lesson in Empathy
The book begins with a young adventurer setting out on a beautiful sunny day. Like many of us, she has high expectations for her day, singing about the sun, flowers, and bees. However, the weather, and the mood, shifts suddenly. When a dark, gray cloud blocks the sun, the girl’s initial reaction is frustration. She shouts at the sky, demanding to know why it is ruining her day.
What follows is a heartwarming dialogue between the girl and the cloud. The cloud, personified with a shaky tremble and a patchwork bow tie, explains that his tears are not a sign of weakness or something "wrong." Instead, the cloud explains that his tears "feed the land" and, perhaps most importantly, make him feel better.
One of the most poignant moments in the story occurs when the girl reveals her misunderstanding of sadness. She tells the cloud, "I thought being sad meant something was wrong. That tears only come when you're not being strong."
The cloud’s response is a vital lesson in emotional intelligence: "Not at all... Letting them out helps the sadness pass by." By the end of the story, the girl realizes that by allowing the cloud the space to cry, she feels "lighter" and "bolder." The weight is lifted from her shoulders because she has accepted that sadness is a natural, temporary state that cleanses the spirit, much like rain cleanses the air.
The Real-Life Inspiration: A Walk in the Woods
During the interview, Beardsley shared the touching real-life event that sparked the book's creation. The story was inspired by a single sentence uttered by her daughter, Neiva, when she was just six years old.
The pair were finishing a familiar walk through the woods. As they reached a hilltop where two horses usually grazed, the atmosphere changed. The sky turned dark, the air grew cold, and rain seemed imminent. Instead of complaining about the weather, Neiva put her hands together, looked up at the sky, and whispered, "Please, cloud, don't cry."
"That was the beginning of the story," Beardsley explained. "It immediately popped into my head. The conversation of a girl with a cloud. She just wants it to be sunny, and the cloud then has to explain why it needs to cry."
Engaging with Young Readers: Kids Ask the Author
The "Kids Ask Authors" format allows children to dive deep into the lore of the book. During the session, several children submitted questions that touched on everything from the science of clouds to the character's favorite snacks.
A young reader named Hannah noticed a unique detail: the patchwork bow tie worn by the cloud. Beardsley revealed that this was a "happy accident." Initially, she considered giving the cloud a hat, but decided against it because it might fall off. "I thought, why not a bow tie? And I couldn't settle on a color, so I thought, why not all the colors? Like a patchwork bow. He's a gentleman; he's a gentle cloud."
Eight-year-old Toby asked a scientific yet whimsical question: "Can you weigh clouds?" Beardsley’s answer combined imagination with a bit of British humor. "I'd like to think so. Maybe if we got a really, really big net and channeled it up to the sky and pulled it down." Living in the UK, Beardsley joked that there is certainly no shortage of clouds to experiment with.
Many children noticed that the girl is followed on her journey by small mice. When asked by Edison if the mice were pets or friends, Beardsley admitted they were a "secret added edition" that even she is still discovering. While they might live in a mouse hole in the girl's house, the author likes to think the girl met them on her walk and they became companions in her emotional discovery.
The "Cloudy Day Inside": Navigating Emotions
A central theme of the interview was the "teaser question": Can you think of a time you felt like a cloudy day inside?
This prompt encourages children to identify their feelings using the book's weather metaphor. Beardsley shared a lighthearted but relatable example from her own life involving a trip to an ice cream farm. After finally getting her favorite topping, the ice cream fell to the floor. "What made me even sadder," she laughed, "was that there were animals there and they ate it! They got to enjoy the ice cream and I didn't."
While the example was funny, the message was clear: big or small, our feelings of "grayness" are valid, and sharing those stories helps us process them.
Looking Ahead: Butterflies and Anxiety
For fans of Please, Cloud, Don't Cry, Beardsley shared exciting news about her upcoming work. Continuing her mission to help children navigate complex emotions through nature metaphors, her next book is set to focus on anxiety.
Instead of clouds and rain, this new story uses the metaphor of "butterflies" to describe the fluttery, nervous feeling of anxiety. "It talks about how children can navigate another emotion," Beardsley said. "I would love to come back and talk about that."
By personifying the weather, Please Cloud, Don't Cry removes the stigma from sadness. It teaches children that:
Sadness is functional: Just as rain feeds the land, expressed emotions help us grow and feel "lighter."
Sadness is not weakness: Being "strong" doesn't mean holding tears in; it means having the courage to let them out.
Empathy is powerful: By listening to the cloud instead of just shouting at it, the girl gained a new friend and a better understanding of the world.
Whether it’s a rainy day in the UK or a "cloudy day" in a child's heart, Leanne Beardsley’s work reminds us all to look up, be kind to ourselves, and remember that the sun always eventually returns—often with a rainbow in tow.
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Samantha Howard-Els – Mungo series & Tiny Boo*: https://amzn.to/3CBx9OF
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