[BOOK REVIEW] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

Title:  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Author:  Judi Barrett

Artist:  Ron Barrett

Genre:  Fantasy / Food / Comedy

Year Published: 1978

Year Read:  2010

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers

Series: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs #1

Source:  Library 

Content Rating:  Ages 5+  (Some Intense Scenes)

Buy on:  Amazon  //  Book Depository 

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a cult classic children’s book by Judi Barrett along with illustrations by Ron Barrett and it is about a magical town called Chewandswallow (chew and swallow, get it?) where food just falls from the sky and provides people with everything they need.  But what happens when there is too much food falling from the sky?  “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is definitely one unusual and creative book ever created for children!

Judi Barrett has certainly done an excellent job at writing this story as it is full of creativity and excitement!  I mean what other book talks about a town where food just falls from the sky and people just eat the food from the sky like nothing?  That is what I really loved about this book since I never read a book about food falling from the sky and that proves just how imaginative Judi Barrett made this book from any other children’s book!  Ron Barrett’s illustrations are extremely creative and gorgeous, especially when he illustrates the actual family’s life in black and white while the illustrations of the town of Chewandswallow is shown fully in color, which truly brings out the creativity of the make believe town.  I also love the illustrations of the different kinds of food that falls from the sky, especially of the images of a dozen hamburgers falling from a storm cloud as it looked quite unusual.

All in all, “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” is a truly brilliant book for children who are food lovers and just loves book about pure imagination!  I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since the book might be too lengthy for smaller children and there are some intense scenes with the falling food covering the town that might scare younger children.