David Wiesner

While on a school trip to the Empire State Building, a boy is taken by a friendly cloud to visit Sector 7, where he discovers how clouds are shaped and channeled throughout the country.

Sector 7

Sarah Sammis

David Wiesner is another "new to me" authors introduced to me by the children's wing of my library. Sector 7 was on display along the walls above the picture book shelves. The gorgeous cover got my attention immediately and I had to take it home to peruse.

Wiesner is a children's book illustrator and an author of "wordless picture books." From my time judging graphic novels for the Cybils, I've come to think of them as graphic picture books, which I know, is redundant. Nonetheless, I like the term because his illustrations and the stories they portray are as complex and interesting as the graphic novels I've read and sometimes more so!

Sector 7 begins with a field trip to the Empire State Building and a ride to the top (something I would love to do some day). From there things become fantastic as the main character befriends a cloud and goes off to visit the factory or school or city or whatever it is where clouds come from. The adults who run the place want to send the boy home but he manages to have an influence on the clouds before he's returned. The results are magical and absolutely charming.

My son who a year ago wouldn't touch a wordless book, devoured this one. We both went through the book twice on our own and once together. We had fun comparing notes and our versions of the story. My son is actually asking for me to check the book out again.

Sector 7

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