author 
 
 
The cloud who burst out crying 
Kastaniotis, 1997  

To sinnefo pou evale ta klamata

ISBN 978-960-03-2028-2
Illustrations: Kelly Matathia Kovo

(Greek Children's Book Circle commendation, Greek section of IBBY)

Once upon a time, and many more times since, upon a mountain-top a little fleecy cloud was born. Hand in hand, a crowd of cheerful water drops built up their house.
Their friends the other water drops were zealous. Every day more and more drops arrived at the little cloud. The water drops kept on coming. Day by day the little cloud was becoming heavier. And heavier still.
Until one day it grew so heavy it could no longer bear its weight and burst out crying.
To their surprise, the water drops found themselves falling one after the other. 'It's not goodbye!' they cried.
'We'll get together again!' 'We'll meet once more in the cloud,' they shouted as they journeyed down to earth.
The shyest ones hid in the ground. The more playful ones fell in the river. And the quietest ones joined the waters of the lake. Those that were most daring plunged into the sea. And the careless ones were frozen by the icy wind and were transformed into snowflakes. The sun helped them to go back. He warmed the air around them and made them all invisible, so nobody could see them. Swift and light as tiny feathers they rose high into the sky to meet their friends. And so the little fleecy cloud was born again.