As a young girl I read this book over and over, picturing myself as a citizen of Chew-and-Swallow, a town where it rains tomato soup and hot dogs, pancakes and eggs over easy, orange juice and spaghetti with meatballs.
I loved the detailed illustrations and the humor. And now-I won't say how many years later-as I read it to my children, the enjoy it as much as I ever did.
It's a true gem of a read, one that I will keep long after my children become adults. I'll be able to read it and picture myself as the little girl I was-so in awe of the creativity, the concept itself- and the young mother I was, enjoying it with her children.

My son loves food very much. He is hooked after I read it to him the first time. Very creative story. However, I dont like the black and white pictures. But it doesnt seem to bother my son.

I love the imagination that this book sparks. I can read it over and over again. My daughter loves the illustrations and she laughs every time I read it at the silliness of it all. Awesome book.

I bought this book, like so many others, for my nephews, who are almost 2 and 4. The pictures in the book were great but not quite as vibrant and colorful as those in some of their other books. I found the story to be quite good, but it was pretty wordy (which can be good if you're reading it to try to make somebody sleepy). So, overall, as an adult, I really liked this book, but I feel like the younger kids prefer books more like the ones they're used to--few words and colorful pictures. I'm hoping, though, that even if they don't fully appreciate it now, maybe they'll grow into it. I would definitely buy it again.

I loved this book as a kid and now own it and read it to my kids. I love everything about it (the pictures and the story).

I can't believe this book has 5 stars. . I'm so confused. I bought this book for my kids for Christmas after reading the rave reviews...and I can't express how completely disappointed I am. Rather than being "whimsical" the book was more "disturbing" with a touch of "nauseating". After I read this book to my six year old she offered to take it to her school and donate it to the school library. . . that oughta tell you something.

I can't believe this book has 5 stars. . I'm so confused. I bought this book for my kids for Christmas after reading the rave reviews...and I can't express how completely disappointed I am. Rather than being "whimsical" the book was more "disturbing" with a touch of "nauseating". After I read this book to my six year old she offered to take it to her school and donate it to the school library. . . that oughta tell you something.

This is an all around great book! We have loved reading this book over and over. It brings a smile to your face and lifts you up! As authors ourselves, it is inspirational to see books written by other authors.
Darla, Sydney and Jimmy Batchler

This book is my proclaimed favorite book of all my childhood. I read this book so much that I had to buy a replacement for it when I was 18 because the original was falling apart. I cannot wait for the birth of my daughter so I can read to her about the silly story of a town that receives its food from the sky until the weather makes a turn for the worse. The pictures still crack me up, and the detail is quite nice. As I grew older I searched for different foods and hidden details in the illustrations. I always liked the length of this book, because most bedtime stories seemed too short for me. I grew up an avid reader from a family with little time or money to keep me occupied, getting my amusement from books.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

This book has been one of my favorite children's book since I was young. Today i find it as an inspiration that a book can stay with a child throughout their entire life.

My daughter (2) received this book as a gift for Christmas. We just read it for the first time today. I did not read this book as a child, so I was new to the story just as she was. I have read the other reviews (those who liked it and those who did not). I'm torn between both camps, but as I thought about it, I think there are 2 different perspectives and ways to rate this book:

1. From an adult's perspective: a creative, spur of the moment bedtime story told by grandpa based on a pancake that flew through the air at breakfast and landed on grandson's head; illustrations are nice, if you like pen and ink line art; story is a bit lacking in any plot "twist" but again, it's told as an off-the-cuff bedtime story just like any parent would make up for their own child; novel concept for a story; possibly gross feelings about people getting pelted with food from the sky that is to be eaten (never mind all the dirt/dust/etc. it comes in contact with on the way down).

2. from a child's perspective: how neat to have food falling from the sky, especially mashed potatoes and pancakes! A funny story because the topic is so silly and similar to other stories that might be told by grandparents; illustrations are comic-book like and fun to look at ....

I found myself liking the book from the child's perspective. I found myself not caring for the book much from the adult's perspective. My daughter sat through the story (she's only 2) and she enjoyed it!

So I gave this book a rating of 3 stars to average out my total rating (adult rating: 1 or 2; child rating: 4 or 5).

I still enjoy reading this book. It brings back so many childhood memories. I picked up a copy recently to read to my children, they loved it.
I also recommend books by Beau Beaudoin. The Url Kingand Boetry

My son has loved hearing this one since he was 3. Wonderful images and ideas.

this purchase was a good value. the company gave excellent service and the book arrived quickly.

This book is highly original and my daughter loved it. The premise is a silly one that often had her giggling. It is about the town of Chewandswallow, where all of their food comes from the sky. Not routine food, but a wide variety, and all at the right time. Sometimes it hails hamburgers, other times it rains soup and sometimes first it would hail toast followed by a rain of jelly. This is captured by the caption:

"For dinner one night there were lamb chops, becoming heavy at times, with occasional ketchup. Periods of peas and baked potatoes were followed by gradual clearing, with a wonderful Jello setting in the west."

Unfortunately, the weather control suddenly began to fail and the same food would fall all day and unappetizing combinations such as brussel sprouts with peanut butter and mayonnaise. This prompted the people to make boats out of the very large slices of stale bread and sail off to a land where they were required to purchase their food.
The story of Chewandswallow is contained within a tale of a loving Grandpa who cooks breakfast for the grandchildren and takes them sledding after a beautiful snowfall. Your young children will like this story.

This book strikes a chord with kids and adults alike. Everyone loves food and the thought of it raining down from the sky? Divine.

Love, love, love this story! My six year old daugher loved it as well. Very funny and entertaining. What a great imagination this author has!

This book is so nostalgic for me. I LOVED it when I was younger. I bought it for my brother to read to his kids. I feel like just reading it as a kid built on my creativity and inspired some really good imaginiation

My 4+ year old has asked to read this book for 21 days straight at bed - a whimsical and eye-rolling silliness that leaves him with a smile on his face as the lights go out for bedtime :)

An excellent choice for a bedtime story, not too long, not too short. Helps children to develop their imagination, and think of the impossible. Great, no bathroom humor, timeless choice for a story.

I teach four year olds, and have usually read this to them towards the end of the school year when they are just beginning to get a glimmer of understanding about hyperbole, tall-tales and such. It is very funny and clever. Children older than four will appreciate it even better. However, Amazon has it on their 0-3 booklist, and it is definitely NOT appropriate for that age-group. Take care to gear your reading to the age of the child!

This is one of my kids' favorites. A bit longer than most of the bedtime stories I read, but they really like it.

This was one of my absolute favorite books when I was a child. It was silly enough to keep my attention, but not too silly as to be unbelievable. I WANTED to believe the town of Chewandswallow was real, and I wanted to live there! I still do! I still have my copy, which is now almost 30 years old- and I will be reading it to my children. I recommend this to all children, it's a super fun read!

Awesome illustration. The story is cute. I'm not sure of a moral, but it's good entertainment for a young reader.

We read this to our oldest daughter when she was small -- many, many times. And then again to our younger kids. Just got it for our granddaughter, but at 2 she's a little young.

Great book.

I'm 26 years old now, don't have any children yet (He'll be here in a few months =D) I just happened to see a friend of mine mention this book somewhere and 20 years later, I immediately remembered this being one of my absolute favorites books when I was a child. Anyone with a child of reading age should def get this book!

Grandson loved it! His older sister knew the book from school and could read it to him. She was as excited as he was.

This is an amusing and fun book for young kids, and can be a funny book to read for those kids who are in the stages of reading on their own.
My 4 year old son loves this story, and laughs every time at the wacky happenings. The illustrations are great and really add to the humor of the story.

My great niece and nephew really enjoyed it, especially when read by their grandfather who is a real meatball (great and funny guy)!

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs is one of the most delightful, imaginative books I have read in a long time. From the whimsical story to the vivid illustrations, I savored every page along with my nine-year-old son. It's book that kids will want to read over and over. A classic!

I remember having this book read to me in school when I was younger and I LOVED it. Now I have a 4 year old daughter, and I decided to get it for her. She loves it also! We read it almost every night together.

This was one of my all time favorite books as a child.
I just ordered a copy for my neice.

I thought that this book was so creative. I loved it! The title of the book was so eye catching-I had to buy it.

I have loved this book since I was a child. You will find something different each time you read it. A true must have

I love this book as a child, now I get to enjoy reading it to the toddlers in my class who are thrilled with it.

...just a fun and slightly crazy book to read. it is enjoyable at any age!

A must have storytime book for anybody who loves food. The story is a classic and the illustrations are priceless. Just be sure to have a snack handy!

I adored this book as a kid and still do.

When I was little, I loved the concept and illustrations so much that I drew dozens of pictures of doughnuts and hotdogs and such falling from the sky.

Make sure that you read the street signs in the illustrations of the town scenes; they're terribly clever.

I'm delighted that 'Cloudy' is appreciated by this generation and is thriving in the Amazon ranks.

I loved this book as a child and just recently re-discoverd it when my niece was reading it. It's a great fantasy tale for children 3-6 or so. Who hasn't dreamed about it raining food at some point in their lives?

I work hard at reading this book. I have to really place myself in my child's shoes when I read this book, and appreciate the imagination. It is odd, not in a Dr. Suess way, but in a "dope smoking way". He likes it though, and that is all that matters. I would recommend it for older 4 and up. I can't see girls liking it, but I could be wrong on that.

Also my book came in paperback. If that matters, make sure you are aware of that.

A fun book with lots of wonderful, imaginative detail that is very captivating. Lots of writing, but even my 4 and 5 year old like this story. Pictures are fair and could be better. Overall enjoyable.

A trip down memory lane. As a child, my siblings and I LOVED this book; mostly because we were fascinated by the strange artwork. It is creative and unique and I look forward to passing it on to my niece for her to enjoy while she grows up.

After reading the great reviews this book had received, I bought it for our grandson. I was very disappointed in both the story and the artwork.

It is a great story for any classroom to spark the students' imagination. Parents at home can read this story to their children and have lively discussion living in a place described in this story. A must for all ages.

I highly recommend this book. It is full of hilarious art work which catches the imagination of my children. The story is wonderful and this book is the one asked for over and over again for reading time.

A friend of mine recommended this book and said her kids (preschool and kindergarten) loved it. It went right over my kids head, honestly because they are such picky eaters, they weren't familiar with the foods in the book (every day vegetables and other foods, ie, meatballs...). I will have to save this for a few more years.

Bought this for my 9 yr. old's birthday, but it was sent in the same box as another large present and was bent up. Now I have to send it back, what a pain. It's a funny book though.

We've had this book since my oldest was 2 and am now buying it for my youngest's classroom. This book has been part of many conversations in our home. We spoke of financial classes, my children's eating habits and the weather, of course! We've been known to quote it on occasion! This book also helps remind adults to use their imaginations!

I remember being a kid and flipping through the pages of this book over and over imagining what it would be like to live in a world that rains jelly donuts. I read the book a few months ago and it was still as fun as 20 years ago. Kids these days need to use their imaginations through reading more than they do through mind warping video games. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to enjoy a fun imaginative book.

You know, on Amazon this books is listed for being for reading levels 4-8, So I bought it for my nephew thinking that it would be very silly and he would think it was funny, but the book lists itself as being for readers aged 7-9. It is more serious than I expected, and the pictures are not as colorful as one expect a children's book to be. Still, very good, I will give it to my older niece instead.