Perfect for fans of The Umbrella and Lizzy and the Cloud, this striking story from debut author-illustrator Danielle Ridolfi explores the beauty of the natural world, while also showing readers that big feelings—like a scary thunderstorm—will come and go.
With a stirring narrative and remarkable collage artwork, When the Dark Clouds Come draws on the lessons of the natural world to assure readers that, although tough times and difficult emotions may appear suddenly like a stormy sky, the sun is never far behind. Drawing on her background in clinical psychology, Ridolfi utilizes color shifts, sprawling landscapes, and lyrical text to show readers the beauty and relatability of nature.
When the Dark Clouds Come is ideal for reading aloud and is a book kids and caregivers will turn to again and again for comfort.
About the author
As a child, thunderstorms frightened Danielle Ridolfi, but now she absolutely loves them. She makes illustrations that celebrate the quiet, gentle parts of the natural world as well as the fierce and booming. With her background as a clinical psychologist, she watches the ways that the moods of nature sometimes mirror our own.
Where the Dark Clouds Come is Danielle’s debut picture book. She is also currently illustrating a picture book about the secret lives of plants and another about the beauty of doing nothing.
Ridolfi is a lecturer both in WashU’s Department of English in Arts & Sciences and in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts. She teaches courses in the Children’s Studies Minor, focused on the critical study of children’s visual media, and studio classes on narrative and picture-book illustration. She holds an MFA in Illustration and Visual Culture from the Sam Fox School and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University.