Once Upon a Cloud

Keane’s background as a visual development artist is on full display in her picture-book debut—her nighttime landscapes carry faint echoes of midcentury animation classics like Fantasia; unfortunately, they also look more like sketches and storyboard stills than fully rendered art. The story centers around a wide-eyed girl who can’t decide on the perfect gift for her mother. Pondering this quandary at bedtime, Celeste is whisked out the window on the breath of the wind, which Keane imagines as an elderly figure with a sweeping, curling beard. Celeste soon meets other celestial personae, dancing with princesslike stars who bedeck her with jewels, listening to stories told by the sleepy moon (his nightcap has an evocative crescentlike curve), and enjoying tea with the Sun, who resembles an ethereal cousin to Disney’s Cinderella. Keane’s wispy illustrations create alluring settings, but the underlying story falls short—the resolution, in which Celeste’s travels inspire her to gather flowers from a field as a gift, feels largely disconnected from her journey. Ages 3–5. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Mar.)