Curly Cloud is the title of the debut children’s book by Felicity Wade. She spoke to TOM OGG about the origins of the story and how she hopes the character of Curly will encourage shy children to open up about their feelings
IF the recent wet weather has been leaving you feeling down, perhaps you ought to take a leaf out of Felicity Wade’s book.
The Jersey-born children’s author has recently released her literary debut – Curly Cloud – in which a rain cloud is depicted not as a bit fluffy mass of condensed vapour primed and ready to soak you to the skin, but rather as a friendly cartoon character who learns the importance of “self-discovery, self-belief and self-worth”.
“I wrote Curly as a loveable but shy character,” says Felicity, chatting in the JEP offices last week alongside her husband, Tom.
“At first, Curly Cloud is afraid to be himself and he worries that if he cries – or rains – he will ruin everything. He is afraid that he will spoil everyone’s day. And so, like many children, Curly bottles up his feelings inside and it ends up consuming him.
“But eventually Curly comes to realise that, if he just opens up and lets it all out, then there is beauty to be found in his emotions. And once he starts to rain, the sun shines, the flowers blossom and the grass grows.”
As well as having penned Curly Cloud, which is written in easy-to-follow rhyming verse, Felicity also designed and illustrated the paperback book, with bright colourful cartoons on every page.
“I’ve spent years writing poems and short stories, but this is the first time I’ve ever had something published,” she says.
“I was quite a worrier when I was a child – I was always worrying about everything. And so I knew I wanted to write something that would tell children that it is okay to be open with their emotions, and that there are occasions where worrying has merit. Sometimes there are perfectly valid reasons for a person to worry about things.”
The book – which is aimed at children aged from four to eight – has already proven a hit with Felicity and Tom’s five-year-old daughter, Zoe, who was born at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Zoe is a little bit shy, much like I was,” says Felicity. “Curly Cloud hopefully acts as a soft reminder for her to be open with her feelings.”
Having studied media and popular culture at Leeds Metropolitan University, which is where she first met Leeds-born Tom, Felicity worked in schools for several years, often working with Key Stage 1 students.
“I saw first-hand how some children will bottle up their feelings inside and not want to let it all out.”
Today, Felicity and Tom live in York (“It’s such a beautiful, safe place”), with Curly Cloud available in many of the small independent bookshops that can be found in and around the city. Felicity is now hopeful that similar such shops and venues in Jersey will agree to stock the book.
“I’ve already got a second and third book in production,” she says. “Writing children’s books started as a hobby but I’d love to do this all the time.
“I’m hoping to put together a little mini-series of books, all weather related, and each tackling a different emotion.
“Essentially, there is beauty in emotion, and in finding the strength to be proud of our feelings, but I know some young children find it very difficult to be raw and honest. They are at such an impressionable age.
“If Curly Cloud helps just one or two children, then I will be very happy.”
*Curly Cloud is available now on Amazon UK and Kindle. If any local shops would be interested in stocking the book, please email felicitywade17@gmail.com
Every curly cloud has a silver lining…
