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Sector 7
The Caldecott Honor–winning adventure of a young boy and a mischievous cloud in a funny, touching story about art, friendship, and the weather by three-time Caldecott Medalist David Wiesner.
Only the person who gave us Tuesday could have devised this fantastic Caldecott Honor–winning tale, which begins with a school trip to the Empire State Building. There a boy makes friends with a mischievous little cloud, who whisks him away to the Cloud Dispatch Center for Sector 7 (the region that includes New York City). The clouds are bored with their everyday shapes, so the boy obligingly starts to sketch some new ones. . . . The wordless yet eloquent account of this unparalleled adventure is a funny, touching story about art, friendship, and the weather, as well as a visual tour de force.
Only the person who gave us Tuesday could have devised this fantastic Caldecott Honor–winning tale, which begins with a school trip to the Empire State Building. There a boy makes friends with a mischievous little cloud, who whisks him away to the Cloud Dispatch Center for Sector 7 (the region that includes New York City). The clouds are bored with their everyday shapes, so the boy obligingly starts to sketch some new ones. . . . The wordless yet eloquent account of this unparalleled adventure is a funny, touching story about art, friendship, and the weather, as well as a visual tour de force.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 20, 1999
19 people are currently reading
2851 people want to read
About the author
David Wiesner
102 books625 followersDuring David Wiesner's formative years, the last images he saw before closing his eyes at night were the books, rockets, elephant heads, clocks, and magnifying glasses that decorated the wallpaper of his room. Perhaps it was this decor which awakened his creativity and gave it the dreamlike, imaginative quality so often found in his work.
As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.
In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.
Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.
David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.
Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books.
As a child growing up in suburban New Jersey, Wiesner re-created his world daily in his imagination. His home and his neighborhood became anything from a faraway planet to a prehistoric jungle. When the everyday play stopped, he would follow his imaginary playmates into the pages of books, wandering among dinosaurs in the World Book Encyclopedia. The images before him generated a love of detail, an admiration for the creative process, and a curiosity about the hand behind the drawings.
In time, the young Wiesner began exploring the history of art, delving into the Renaissance at first — Michelangelo, Dürer, and da Vinci — then moving on to such surrealists as Magritte, de Chirico, and Dalí. As he got older, he would sit, inspired by these masters, at the oak drafting table his father had found for him and would construct new worlds on paper and create wordless comic books, such as Slop the Wonder Pig, and silent movies, like his kung fu vampire film The Saga of Butchula.
Wiesner has always been intrigued by and curious about what comes before and after the captured image. His books somehow convey the sequence of thoughts leading up to and following each picture, and that quality explain why they are frequently described as cinematic.
At the Rhode Island School of Design, Wiesner was able to commit himself to the full-time study of art and to explore further his passion for wordless storytelling. There he met two people who would figure prominently in his life: Tom Sgouros, to whom Tuesday is dedicated, and David Macaulay, to whom The Three Pigs is dedicated. These two men not only taught Wiesner the fundamentals of drawing and painting but also fostered his imaginative spirit and helped him comprehend the world around him. Sgouros's and Macaulay's artistic influences were vital to Wiesner's development into the acclaimed picture-book author he is today.
David Wiesner has illustrated more than twenty award-winning books for young readers. Two of the picture books he both wrote and illustrated became instant classics when they won the prestigious Caldecott Medal: Tuesday in 1992 and The Three Pigs in 2002. Two of his other titles, Sector 7 and Free Fall, are Caldecott Honor Books. An exhibit of Wiesner's original artwork, "Seeing the Story," toured the United States in 2000 and 2001. Among his many honors, Wiesner holds the Japan Picture Book Award for Tuesday, the Prix Sorcières (the French equivalent of the Caldecott Medal) for The Three Pigs, and a 2004 IBBY Honour Book nomination for illustration, also for The Three Pigs. Flotsam, his most recent work, was a New York Times bestseller and was recently named winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, making Wiesner only the second person in the award’s long history to have won three times.
Wiesner lives with his wife and their son and daughter in the Philadelphia area, where he continues to create dreamlike and inventive images for books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 578 reviews
June 8, 2017
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Sector 7 by David Wiesner is one of the most imaginative wordless books I've read. A boy takes a school trip to the Empire State Building and winds up taking a whole different trip to Sector 7, a cloud dispatch station in the sky. He's taken there by a little cloud who becomes his friend. He has ideas of his own for what he thinks clouds should look like and he isn't afraid to share them.
Children will love this picture book as it's easy to follow with beautiful illustrations. We loved it and talked about it for quite a bit of time. We were surprised to see this author again as we recently read Free Fall. This is definitely a keeper.
5*****
Sector 7 by David Wiesner is one of the most imaginative wordless books I've read. A boy takes a school trip to the Empire State Building and winds up taking a whole different trip to Sector 7, a cloud dispatch station in the sky. He's taken there by a little cloud who becomes his friend. He has ideas of his own for what he thinks clouds should look like and he isn't afraid to share them.
Children will love this picture book as it's easy to follow with beautiful illustrations. We loved it and talked about it for quite a bit of time. We were surprised to see this author again as we recently read Free Fall. This is definitely a keeper.
5*****
July 19, 2019
A boy goes to the Empire State Building with a class on a zero visible day. No one can see anything. While the boy is up there trying to see something in the fog, he makes friends with a bit of fluff fog cloud. As the fog is lifting, the fog boy takes the boy up to the cloud work station in the sky and we see how the fog is organized. The boy creates some beautiful havoc before being returned to earth for a beautiful and interesting cloud watching day.
This has to be one of my favorite David Wiesner books and that is saying something. He has to be one of my favorite children’s authors. It’s like Dr. Seuss and then David. The story is so fantastic and his imagination soars here. He creates new worlds like most people eat breakfast - daily. My imagination soared with this book and it didn’t need any words. It was wonderful.
In our tradition, we let the nephew read this to us being wordless. When the fog took the boy up into the sky, the kids went, ‘Whoa.’ He had a great story. The kids loved the cloud formations at the end of the book. They said that would be so cool to see. The nephew gave this 4 stars and the niece gave this 5 stars for thrilling her.
This has to be one of my favorite David Wiesner books and that is saying something. He has to be one of my favorite children’s authors. It’s like Dr. Seuss and then David. The story is so fantastic and his imagination soars here. He creates new worlds like most people eat breakfast - daily. My imagination soared with this book and it didn’t need any words. It was wonderful.
In our tradition, we let the nephew read this to us being wordless. When the fog took the boy up into the sky, the kids went, ‘Whoa.’ He had a great story. The kids loved the cloud formations at the end of the book. They said that would be so cool to see. The nephew gave this 4 stars and the niece gave this 5 stars for thrilling her.
September 18, 2019
David Wiesner says he went to top of the Empire State Building on a zero-visibility day as an inspiration for this book, which is wordless, about a boy who goes there and is transported to "Sector 7". Of course, we know a parenting angle on clouds to promote imagination in kids is to ask them what they "see in them." But Wiesner didn't have wispy little clouds in the shape of bunnies or elephants. He just had his mind, which is what he models for kids.
Things just get wilder and wilder as we proceed, until--as the boy goes to sleep in his room at night--he sleeps in a cloud above his bed, as fish pass by through the window.
So, the powers of the imagination is a common theme of kids' books, and so the trajectory of the story is unsurprising, but I like how it gets progressively more surreal and the art as always with this Hall of Fame illustrator is amazing.
Things just get wilder and wilder as we proceed, until--as the boy goes to sleep in his room at night--he sleeps in a cloud above his bed, as fish pass by through the window.
So, the powers of the imagination is a common theme of kids' books, and so the trajectory of the story is unsurprising, but I like how it gets progressively more surreal and the art as always with this Hall of Fame illustrator is amazing.
September 6, 2019
Yes, I truly have enjoyed David Wiesner's Sector 7. It is sweetly magical, creatively whimsical, and for those of us who sometimes have trouble following an entirely illustrations-based instead of a text-based narrative, Sector 7 is thankfully also neither too complicated nor too annoyingly busy to be easily followed and understood. And indeed, even though I will still likely always enjoy text-based picture books rather more than wordless creations, I can definitely say that Sector 7 is one of the lushest and most creative wordless picture books I have had the pleasure to read (and well deserving of its Caldecott honour designation).
Sector 7 does not only present an easy to understand wordless storyline, the concept of going up amongst the clouds, of meeting clouds, of traveling with clouds and even perhaps befriending clouds, this is something that I think many of us have secretly longed to experience at some time in our past (for I do remember lying on my back as a child, watching the clouds go by and imagining myself up, up among them, enrobed in cottony, cushiony softness). And while I love, while I enjoy all of David Wiesner’s presented illustrations, I do think that my two favourite spreads are the arrivals/departure deck at Sector 7 (so much like an airport or a busy train station, I had to laugh out loud) and very last picture of the young boy, sleeping in the cottony soft embrace of his new cloud friend. Highly recommended!
Sector 7 does not only present an easy to understand wordless storyline, the concept of going up amongst the clouds, of meeting clouds, of traveling with clouds and even perhaps befriending clouds, this is something that I think many of us have secretly longed to experience at some time in our past (for I do remember lying on my back as a child, watching the clouds go by and imagining myself up, up among them, enrobed in cottony, cushiony softness). And while I love, while I enjoy all of David Wiesner’s presented illustrations, I do think that my two favourite spreads are the arrivals/departure deck at Sector 7 (so much like an airport or a busy train station, I had to laugh out loud) and very last picture of the young boy, sleeping in the cottony soft embrace of his new cloud friend. Highly recommended!
April 15, 2009
This book is gorgeous, whimsical, and very creative. I had thought this author’s Flotsam was brilliant, loved Free Fall, was not so impressed with Tuesday. I loved this book almost as much as Flotsam. I really like his almost wordless books (something I’d never have anticipated) and especially those with main human children characters and where a lot is going on in the story. This virtually wordless book is a great one to read with children and it encourages much discussion about what’s happening in the story. It’s a book pre-readers can “read” but it can be so much more rewarding to read it with a child/children and everyone can participate by sharing opinions and feelings and using their imaginations as the book is experienced. This is a picture book that both adults and children can appreciate.
May 18, 2011
A wonderfully imaginative wordless picture book from the great David Wiesner. I don't want to say anything more about it as the joy is in the surprise of what happens. Just sit back, open the book, and prepare to be swept away on a cloud of adventure and joy.
March 23, 2013
“Sector 7” is a Caldecott Honor book from the creative mind of David Wiesner and it is about how a young boy meets a mischievous little cloud during his class field trip to see the Empire State Building and when they separated from the boy’s class, the cloud and the boy ended up having wild adventures together in Sector 7! “Sector 7” is truly one of the most memorable wordless picture books ever created that children will love for many years!
Is there nothing more grand that David Wiesner can not do with wordless picture books? Well, “Sector 7” has certainly proven the master illustrating skills that David Wiesner possess and is well known for! David Wiesner’s illustrations alone tell the story of the adventures that the boy and the mischievous little cloud have together at Sector 7. I love the way that David Wiesner illustrates the boy in having a brown waistcoat and a red hat with a red scarf, which sort of makes him look like Little Pete from “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” (I am a huge Nickelodeon fanatic which is why I usually love to compare various characters from certain books with Nickelodeon characters!).
I also love the way that David Wiesner brings a strong fantasy element to the story as Sector 7 is located in the sky and supports itself on small windmills on each side of the factory which makes it look like the castle in “Howl’s Moving Castle.”
The images that truly stood out the most for me were the images of the clouds themselves, both the humanized clouds and the real clouds in the sky. I truly love the scene where the boy and the little cloud are flying through the air and the clouds are slightly light brown and look so stretched out and gorgeous that you can actually feel yourself flying through the air yourself! I also loved the interior of Sector 7 as it looks likes the inside of a train station as there is a large bulletin board at the top of the station that tells the arrivals and departures of different types of clouds. I also loved the idea that David Wiesner makes the story take place in New York City, since I have been to New York City myself, but I have not really been to the Empire State Building, so it was truly interesting to see the Empire State Building in David Wiesner’s magical world!
All in all, “Sector 7” is definitely a book that every child should read, especially for children who cannot read yet, but love looking at illustrations of many different children’s books. This book is truly one of the most memorable wordless picture books ever made next to Raymond Brigg’s classic “The Snowman” and I definitely think that many children will enjoy this book since the illustrations are truly beautiful and engaging to look at! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book that would cause parents concern.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
Is there nothing more grand that David Wiesner can not do with wordless picture books? Well, “Sector 7” has certainly proven the master illustrating skills that David Wiesner possess and is well known for! David Wiesner’s illustrations alone tell the story of the adventures that the boy and the mischievous little cloud have together at Sector 7. I love the way that David Wiesner illustrates the boy in having a brown waistcoat and a red hat with a red scarf, which sort of makes him look like Little Pete from “The Adventures of Pete and Pete” (I am a huge Nickelodeon fanatic which is why I usually love to compare various characters from certain books with Nickelodeon characters!).
I also love the way that David Wiesner brings a strong fantasy element to the story as Sector 7 is located in the sky and supports itself on small windmills on each side of the factory which makes it look like the castle in “Howl’s Moving Castle.”
The images that truly stood out the most for me were the images of the clouds themselves, both the humanized clouds and the real clouds in the sky. I truly love the scene where the boy and the little cloud are flying through the air and the clouds are slightly light brown and look so stretched out and gorgeous that you can actually feel yourself flying through the air yourself! I also loved the interior of Sector 7 as it looks likes the inside of a train station as there is a large bulletin board at the top of the station that tells the arrivals and departures of different types of clouds. I also loved the idea that David Wiesner makes the story take place in New York City, since I have been to New York City myself, but I have not really been to the Empire State Building, so it was truly interesting to see the Empire State Building in David Wiesner’s magical world!
All in all, “Sector 7” is definitely a book that every child should read, especially for children who cannot read yet, but love looking at illustrations of many different children’s books. This book is truly one of the most memorable wordless picture books ever made next to Raymond Brigg’s classic “The Snowman” and I definitely think that many children will enjoy this book since the illustrations are truly beautiful and engaging to look at! I would recommend this book to children ages four and up since there is nothing inappropriate in this book that would cause parents concern.
Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog
March 3, 2022
Having previously enjoyed reading David Wiesner’s Tuesday, I happily looked forward to this wordless children’s illustrated book, all about clouds and the imagination of a young boy. It was a fun read and once again, the pictures tell the entire story.
The tale takes place in New York City when a local school class takes a trip to the Empire State Building. The kids are obviously excited to be there, as they rush out of the elevator to see the sights. The building is so high the clouds are interfering, and one boy becomes friends with a curious cloud. While his classmates run around, he and the cloud take off for Sector 7.
Sector 7 is the Cloud Dispatch Center, something I have always suspected. Clouds don’t just originate out of the blue. They receive their daily dispatches from Sector 7 (the NYC area) and go about their business from there. However, they are clearly bored with their daily boring schedules and tear up their instructions from the dispatch center when the boy draws new shapes for them. This creative act of rebellion is too much for the control center and the sterner clouds send him back to the Empire State Building. So in the future when you see a cloud that looks like a dog,
or Cloudzilla,
it’s really a cloud getting creative with the boy’s famous drawings. I’m glad I’ve cleared that up for all of you.
This is such a wonderful book. I always admire anyone who can draw, even more so when they come up with fantastical stories for the illustrations. I’m a big fan of David Wiesner and this book is a great example of his creative ways.
Book Season = Year Round (new school)
The tale takes place in New York City when a local school class takes a trip to the Empire State Building. The kids are obviously excited to be there, as they rush out of the elevator to see the sights. The building is so high the clouds are interfering, and one boy becomes friends with a curious cloud. While his classmates run around, he and the cloud take off for Sector 7.
Sector 7 is the Cloud Dispatch Center, something I have always suspected. Clouds don’t just originate out of the blue. They receive their daily dispatches from Sector 7 (the NYC area) and go about their business from there. However, they are clearly bored with their daily boring schedules and tear up their instructions from the dispatch center when the boy draws new shapes for them. This creative act of rebellion is too much for the control center and the sterner clouds send him back to the Empire State Building. So in the future when you see a cloud that looks like a dog,
or Cloudzilla,
it’s really a cloud getting creative with the boy’s famous drawings. I’m glad I’ve cleared that up for all of you.
This is such a wonderful book. I always admire anyone who can draw, even more so when they come up with fantastical stories for the illustrations. I’m a big fan of David Wiesner and this book is a great example of his creative ways.
Book Season = Year Round (new school)
January 8, 2018
The amount of detail in this book is absolutely incredible. 'Sector 7' is a delightful read and Wiesner, yet again, fully impresses me with his ability to tell unique, lighthearted and imaginative stories. I would highly recommend this book for its brilliance and ability to tell a story without any words which allows children to draw their own meanings and connections from it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and Wiesner really proves the importance of imagination!
July 15, 2021
2007 October 23
I must not have had a "trippy" shelf when I logged this one. Wiesner is amazing, and probably the first author I'd suggest when telling people that picture books aren't just for kids.
***
2021 July 15
This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For an explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.
So, just in case you were wondering about the whole broken-lists thing. Couple months back I showed up on the Top 100 Reviewers list and it seems to be updating every week with me staying in place. Theoretically my numbers should also put me on the Top Readers list, which makes no sense: the #1 Top Reader in the US has 18,580 books read this week but 61 books read this year. I feel like this kind of number magic should be devoted to solving world hunger or something.
Regardless, I am having such fun with the kids books. When reading one is a joy, it is a very pure joy. These clouds and their shenanigans! I love to see the ocean motif brought in. Just thinking about the book is giving me a wide, silly grin.
Library copy.
I must not have had a "trippy" shelf when I logged this one. Wiesner is amazing, and probably the first author I'd suggest when telling people that picture books aren't just for kids.
***
2021 July 15
This is part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For an explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.
So, just in case you were wondering about the whole broken-lists thing. Couple months back I showed up on the Top 100 Reviewers list and it seems to be updating every week with me staying in place. Theoretically my numbers should also put me on the Top Readers list, which makes no sense: the #1 Top Reader in the US has 18,580 books read this week but 61 books read this year. I feel like this kind of number magic should be devoted to solving world hunger or something.
Regardless, I am having such fun with the kids books. When reading one is a joy, it is a very pure joy. These clouds and their shenanigans! I love to see the ocean motif brought in. Just thinking about the book is giving me a wide, silly grin.
Library copy.
November 10, 2022
It's a wordless book about a boy that visits the Empire State Building and then is mysteriously whisked away to Sector 7 where he discovers ...
A creative and fun story!
Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
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A creative and fun story!
Ages: 4 - 8
Cleanliness: nothing to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
May 31, 2011
I was totally enthralled with this fantastically illustrated wordless picture book! (well, there are words on signs, but no "text").
I found the story very easy to follow (sometimes I'd flip back a page for clarification, but usually I didn't even need to do that), and the actions, expressions and emotions are all easy to understand.
The story itself is fun, fantastical, and unique, about a boy who visits the empire state building and gets a lift from a cloud to Sector 7, where clouds are distributed.
The clouds, however, are rather bored with the shapes they're always required to assume...
I love the feel of this book and definitely, definitely recommend it!!
I found the story very easy to follow (sometimes I'd flip back a page for clarification, but usually I didn't even need to do that), and the actions, expressions and emotions are all easy to understand.
The story itself is fun, fantastical, and unique, about a boy who visits the empire state building and gets a lift from a cloud to Sector 7, where clouds are distributed.
The clouds, however, are rather bored with the shapes they're always required to assume...
I love the feel of this book and definitely, definitely recommend it!!
April 12, 2012
Wiesner's story revolves around a boy that goes on a field trip to the Empire State Building with a group of friends. It's a very cloudy day and the boy runs in to a cloud--literally. The cloud and the boy become friends and the cloud then takes the boy to the place where all of clouds get their assignments. Shenanigans ensue. This picture book is wordless and it allows the readers to interpret the story as they like. However, I could see how some readers may view the cloud as a little creepy.
February 12, 2012
Text Summary
The opening scene of this wordless picture book depicts a group of students filing into the Empire State Building for a class field trip on a very foggy day. Once on the observation deck, a young boy meets a friendly cloud who invites the boy to a place in the sky called Sector 7, a station where many other clouds come and go. At this station, there are human workers who design the shape and format that each cloud must conform to before they are released into the sky. The clouds, unhappy with these restrictions, appeal to the young boy for help. The young boy draws new designs in the forms of various tropical fish. The human workers are unhappy with this change and try to destroy the young boy’s designs. However, upon his return home, the young boy and others around him are excited to see the sea of tropical fish clouds floating through the sky above.
Literary merits
On the back cover of the book, the publisher writes, “David Weisner’s books reflect his interest in things that are, or might be, in the sky...He visited the Empire State Building on a zero-visibility day to research this book.” Weisner’s depiction of the fog in his illustrations helps to transport the reader into this fantasy cloud world where the reader can imagine, as Weisner does, the thing that might be in the sky. It reminds me of Alice falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. As Alice tumbles down the hole, the fantasy begins, and as the young boy finds himself lost in the fog, he encounters his cloud friend, thus beginning the fantasy. The movement portrayed through Weisner’s illustrations creates a movie-like experience for the reader—the pictures are not isolated and disconnected, but just the opposite. They are unified and connected, allowing for a fluid reading of the text. Weisner also uses comic-like panels to focus the reader in on certain images, which helps the reader to navigate the story.
Classroom Recommendations
Ages 4 and up. This text allows for so many different kinds of teaching opportunities—reading, writing, art, science etc. Thsi text can serve as a great resource for ELL students in helping them to construct their voices through storytelling and writing. Students can practice and better understand making predictions and inferences through analyzing the illustrations. They can practice narrative perspective through writing the text for Sector 7. They can learn more about cloud formations in science. They can make their own cloud designs in art. There are so many activities that can accompany a reading of this text. Aside from activities, rich discussions can develop from reading this text, including themes of non-conformity, being unique, expressing yourself, etc. (The clouds don’t want to all be shaped the same way!)
The opening scene of this wordless picture book depicts a group of students filing into the Empire State Building for a class field trip on a very foggy day. Once on the observation deck, a young boy meets a friendly cloud who invites the boy to a place in the sky called Sector 7, a station where many other clouds come and go. At this station, there are human workers who design the shape and format that each cloud must conform to before they are released into the sky. The clouds, unhappy with these restrictions, appeal to the young boy for help. The young boy draws new designs in the forms of various tropical fish. The human workers are unhappy with this change and try to destroy the young boy’s designs. However, upon his return home, the young boy and others around him are excited to see the sea of tropical fish clouds floating through the sky above.
Literary merits
On the back cover of the book, the publisher writes, “David Weisner’s books reflect his interest in things that are, or might be, in the sky...He visited the Empire State Building on a zero-visibility day to research this book.” Weisner’s depiction of the fog in his illustrations helps to transport the reader into this fantasy cloud world where the reader can imagine, as Weisner does, the thing that might be in the sky. It reminds me of Alice falling down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. As Alice tumbles down the hole, the fantasy begins, and as the young boy finds himself lost in the fog, he encounters his cloud friend, thus beginning the fantasy. The movement portrayed through Weisner’s illustrations creates a movie-like experience for the reader—the pictures are not isolated and disconnected, but just the opposite. They are unified and connected, allowing for a fluid reading of the text. Weisner also uses comic-like panels to focus the reader in on certain images, which helps the reader to navigate the story.
Classroom Recommendations
Ages 4 and up. This text allows for so many different kinds of teaching opportunities—reading, writing, art, science etc. Thsi text can serve as a great resource for ELL students in helping them to construct their voices through storytelling and writing. Students can practice and better understand making predictions and inferences through analyzing the illustrations. They can practice narrative perspective through writing the text for Sector 7. They can learn more about cloud formations in science. They can make their own cloud designs in art. There are so many activities that can accompany a reading of this text. Aside from activities, rich discussions can develop from reading this text, including themes of non-conformity, being unique, expressing yourself, etc. (The clouds don’t want to all be shaped the same way!)
August 11, 2017
We just adore David Wiesner's books. Although there's no narrative, his illustrations say it all. This book is about clouds and all I can say is, "Wow." (oh, wait, that's a Sham-Wow commercial) Anyway, our girls love his books and we borrow them all of the time. They especially liked the boy-cloud friendship that develops in this book.
This story was selected as one of the books for the January 2012 - Children on Adventures/Exploring reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the February 2017- Caldecott Honors 1998-2002 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This story was selected as one of the books for the January 2012 - Children on Adventures/Exploring reads at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
This book was also selected as one of the books for the February 2017- Caldecott Honors 1998-2002 discussion at the Picture-Book Club in the Children's Books Group here at Goodreads.
February 12, 2009
This book has hardly any words, but tells a full story in the illustrations. We like it because we have a lot of not-yet-readers and reluctant readers in our family and we were able to sit down and enjoy a book in a group and they could look at on their own without frustration. There seem to be very few books that seem to help the grade school level kids learn that books are enjoyable and most of the one's I've found are by David Wiesner.
January 29, 2019
Filled with beautiful illustrations of clouds. David Wiesner tells the a story of how a boy changes the shapes of the clouds in the sky. This book is fascinating for children because as a child I remember seeing animals and objects in the clouds and therefore it may intrigue children to use their imagination when looking up at the clouds in the sky.
March 29, 2020
The immensely talented David Wiesner - three-time winner of the Caldecott Medal, for
Tuesday
,
The Three Pigs
and
Flotsam
- presents another brilliantly creative wordless story in Sector 7, itself a Caldecott Honor Book. The tale of a boy who, on a class trip to the Empire State Building one foggy day, encounters a friendly cloud, and is borne off to the amazing Sector 7, where clouds are given their assignments, it is as engaging as it is beautiful! The watercolor artwork is simply breathtaking, while the story-idea itself is fantastic, drawing upon that age-old human preoccupation with the shapes taken by clouds, and the possibility that those shapes could be changed...
I found this book delightful, and as with Wiesner's Flotsam , had absolutely no trouble following the story, despite the absence of any text. The artist's skill, in setting up his visual narrative, is astounding, and the beauty of his watercolor paintings cannot be overstated. I loved the many piscine and marine forms that the clouds took, with the boy's (initial) help, as well as the concept of Sector 7 in the first place. An imaginative journey that both captures a child's flights of fancy, and inspires her to greater heights of imagination, this is an outstanding example of the art of the picture-book! Highly recommended, to anyone who appreciates wordless stories, and to fans of David Wiesner.
I found this book delightful, and as with Wiesner's Flotsam , had absolutely no trouble following the story, despite the absence of any text. The artist's skill, in setting up his visual narrative, is astounding, and the beauty of his watercolor paintings cannot be overstated. I loved the many piscine and marine forms that the clouds took, with the boy's (initial) help, as well as the concept of Sector 7 in the first place. An imaginative journey that both captures a child's flights of fancy, and inspires her to greater heights of imagination, this is an outstanding example of the art of the picture-book! Highly recommended, to anyone who appreciates wordless stories, and to fans of David Wiesner.
May 3, 2024
Very creative! Wordless picture books are so fun!
April 6, 2008
David Wiesner is a genius. I ran across this book while browsing through the BYU Bookstore one day. I "read" through the whole thing in about ten minutes, then "read" through it again. Then again. (Please realize that this is quite an accomplishment, because the book is almost 100,000 words long.) Then I bought it for Kim, 'cause I figured she'd love it, too.
You think it's hard to write a story? Try writing one without using any words! How do I reconcile my assertions that this book has no words and that it's almost 100,000 words long? Because the book is entirely made of pictures, and each picture is worth 1,000 words! Hah!
And you thought that I was going senile in my old age...
This book and Flotsam are two amazing forays into the art of storytelling without words. Sector 7 is the story of an artistic boy on a field trip to the Empire State Building. When his class gets to the top of the Empire State Building, the building is fogged in so that they can't see the city. As the boy is walking along the observation deck, the wind steals his hat and scarf. When the boy goes looking for them, he discovers that a cloud is wearing them.
The cloud ends up taking the boy to Sector 7 headquarters, where the clouds get their assignments for the greater New York area.
I'm not going to ruin the rest of it for you. You'll have to "read" it yourself. It's worth it; I promise.
You think it's hard to write a story? Try writing one without using any words! How do I reconcile my assertions that this book has no words and that it's almost 100,000 words long? Because the book is entirely made of pictures, and each picture is worth 1,000 words! Hah!
And you thought that I was going senile in my old age...
This book and Flotsam are two amazing forays into the art of storytelling without words. Sector 7 is the story of an artistic boy on a field trip to the Empire State Building. When his class gets to the top of the Empire State Building, the building is fogged in so that they can't see the city. As the boy is walking along the observation deck, the wind steals his hat and scarf. When the boy goes looking for them, he discovers that a cloud is wearing them.
The cloud ends up taking the boy to Sector 7 headquarters, where the clouds get their assignments for the greater New York area.
I'm not going to ruin the rest of it for you. You'll have to "read" it yourself. It's worth it; I promise.
November 4, 2009
I thought this was a creative, whimsical book. This illustrator is very good at telling a thought-provoking story with only illustrations. This (wordless) book could make for a fun conversation with young students. They could even write their own text to go with the story! Put this book into a free-read center in a pre-K to 1st grade class and see if students pick it up to share with a friend, sharing their version of the story. Use this with older students to show how strong art can convey meaning. In such a lesson, this book might be paired with the movie "WALL-E" to show how a story can be told using very few words. A mood or emotion can be implied simply by an eyebrow being raised or a hand tilted palm up (as in a shrug). Slight differences in lines or colors or shapes can imply different things.
This book could be paired with some of Mr. Wiesner's other books to see what kind of creative paths he took with storylines, characters, settings, realism vs. fantasy. Students can look for similarities and differences amongst his books and illustrations. Perhaps, also, they can decide if the story would lose it's 'power' if text were to be added. An interesting parallel would be to compare this idea with silent films vs. talking films or mime vs. verbal acting. This can allow students to see that visual elements can play key roles in certain kinds of storytelling.
This book could be paired with some of Mr. Wiesner's other books to see what kind of creative paths he took with storylines, characters, settings, realism vs. fantasy. Students can look for similarities and differences amongst his books and illustrations. Perhaps, also, they can decide if the story would lose it's 'power' if text were to be added. An interesting parallel would be to compare this idea with silent films vs. talking films or mime vs. verbal acting. This can allow students to see that visual elements can play key roles in certain kinds of storytelling.
February 11, 2024
Wow. Not what I was expecting. We already knew David Wiesner was taken to “flights of fancy” in the extreme, but this one is different. It can be described in a stream of ‘w’ words: ‘Wordless. Weird. Whimsical.’ But mostly: “Weather!”
Be sure to check this one out Sam, I think you’d love it.
Be sure to check this one out Sam, I think you’d love it.
April 9, 2011
Imaginative and fun--I so enjoy wordless picture books like this one!
February 14, 2017
Oh joy. Another wordless book. This one is bizarre. I suppose it is about how clouds are made, but I'm not sure. This one is a huge miss for me.
January 21, 2018
YES! This is Wiesner at his wordless book best! It's filled with fantasy and imagination, twisting up what starts as something real with a very whimsical story.
March 22, 2015
Only the person who gave us Tuesday could have devised this fantastic take, which begins with a school trip to the Empire State Building. There a boy makes friends with a mischievous little cloud, who whisks him away to the Cloud Dispatch Center for Sector 7 (the region that includes New York City). The clouds are bored with their everyday shapes, so the boy obligingly starts to sketch some new ones.... The wordless yet eloquent account of this unparalleled adventure is a funny, touching story about art, friendship, and the weather, as well as a visual tour de force.
David Wiesner does an absolute fantastic job bringing us Sector 7. You may not recognize the name, but if your a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia then you have seen David Wiesner's work. He was the illustrator for those books, as well as his more famously known book entitled, Tuesday. Sector 7 is a great addition to his work, and even though there are no words throughout the 48 pages it is clear from page 1 that the illustrations will really make this book a great addition for any one's library.
The attention to detail and set up for one of the main characters being a cloud is outstanding. Since the Empire State Building is so tall, upon arriving there low baring clouds making visibility so hard that the main boy of this picture book gets easily separated and trolled by the cloud. After befriending the boy, the cloud sees that he is an artist and can help him and his fellow clouds with their issues and takes him to Sector 7, his dispatch center. The amount of details and attention that David Wiesner gives to the Cloud Dispatch center is some of the best work I've seen on a children's picture book in some time. From the season clock to the weather vanes, to the humans standing checking in on the arrivals there is so many things going on with these 3 pages that introduce us to the dispatch center that I thought for sure, that was the highlight of the book. That everything else from that point on was going to be detailed yes, but more of what you see in the beginning, low baring clouds with not much visibility. WOW, how wrong I was to think that! The arrival and departure boards, even the world globe with all the sectors still had such attention to detail that I felt as though if I turned the page to quickly I would miss something. Even before the boy started to help the cloud become more than circular "cloud" shapes, you can tell how unhappy some of the clouds were with the same assignments. Instead of white and happy clouds, they turned grey and grumpy. And then with just one more turn of a page, Sector 7 is turned into a masterpiece of artwork and genius. You then realize that the clouds don't just want to represent clouds, but want to be in all shapes and sizes. The want to be fish and stars, octopus and jellyfish but the human coordinators of course disapprove and eventually find the boy and spend him back to the Empire State Building. However, his helpfulness and imagination spread and after rejoining his class and boarding the bus to go, everyone sees the clouds forming new shapes in the sky.
I love how Sector 7 is a lovely story about how clouds can sometimes not look like clouds, but other shapes and things that we have all around us. If my ramblings above can not express enough my love for this picture book, let me say now that I HIGHLY recommend this book be added to every one's library. I love picture books with great attention to detail and that have a message to them, and Sector 7 really does. As I child I loved using my imagination to see shapes in the clouds and still do from time to time now as an adult. I believe that Sector 7, a Caldecott Honor Book, is a true book for all ages!
Originally Posted: http://tiffanyfoxbooks.blogspot.com/2...
David Wiesner does an absolute fantastic job bringing us Sector 7. You may not recognize the name, but if your a fan of The Chronicles of Narnia then you have seen David Wiesner's work. He was the illustrator for those books, as well as his more famously known book entitled, Tuesday. Sector 7 is a great addition to his work, and even though there are no words throughout the 48 pages it is clear from page 1 that the illustrations will really make this book a great addition for any one's library.
The attention to detail and set up for one of the main characters being a cloud is outstanding. Since the Empire State Building is so tall, upon arriving there low baring clouds making visibility so hard that the main boy of this picture book gets easily separated and trolled by the cloud. After befriending the boy, the cloud sees that he is an artist and can help him and his fellow clouds with their issues and takes him to Sector 7, his dispatch center. The amount of details and attention that David Wiesner gives to the Cloud Dispatch center is some of the best work I've seen on a children's picture book in some time. From the season clock to the weather vanes, to the humans standing checking in on the arrivals there is so many things going on with these 3 pages that introduce us to the dispatch center that I thought for sure, that was the highlight of the book. That everything else from that point on was going to be detailed yes, but more of what you see in the beginning, low baring clouds with not much visibility. WOW, how wrong I was to think that! The arrival and departure boards, even the world globe with all the sectors still had such attention to detail that I felt as though if I turned the page to quickly I would miss something. Even before the boy started to help the cloud become more than circular "cloud" shapes, you can tell how unhappy some of the clouds were with the same assignments. Instead of white and happy clouds, they turned grey and grumpy. And then with just one more turn of a page, Sector 7 is turned into a masterpiece of artwork and genius. You then realize that the clouds don't just want to represent clouds, but want to be in all shapes and sizes. The want to be fish and stars, octopus and jellyfish but the human coordinators of course disapprove and eventually find the boy and spend him back to the Empire State Building. However, his helpfulness and imagination spread and after rejoining his class and boarding the bus to go, everyone sees the clouds forming new shapes in the sky.
I love how Sector 7 is a lovely story about how clouds can sometimes not look like clouds, but other shapes and things that we have all around us. If my ramblings above can not express enough my love for this picture book, let me say now that I HIGHLY recommend this book be added to every one's library. I love picture books with great attention to detail and that have a message to them, and Sector 7 really does. As I child I loved using my imagination to see shapes in the clouds and still do from time to time now as an adult. I believe that Sector 7, a Caldecott Honor Book, is a true book for all ages!
Originally Posted: http://tiffanyfoxbooks.blogspot.com/2...
March 26, 2017
Summary: one day, a boy has a trip with his classmates. He draws different pictures on the school bus windows. When they walk in the city, a fog encases him, so he is gets lost with his class. In the fog, a cloud appears. The cloud takes boy to fly and visit this city. Then they stop in sector 7. Sector 7 is a factory for cloud making. The boy sees a lot of clouds, and they all have their own independent thought. The clouds want the boy can helps them to change to be different. What does the boy can do?
Opinion: This is interesting picture book because it is about an unimaginable experience for the boy. The cloud can have a communication with human, and they have their own thought. I believe the kids will like this book because this book can help them to have a fantasy for clouds and the city. They may think sector 7 is in somewhere for this city. This book only has picture, so the kids need to associate the character’ expression and behavior to conjecture what is going on. Also, young kids can read the book by their self because this book does not have any text. The kid can guess what the characters’ talking is.
Character: The main character is the boy because the whole story is happening on this boy. The reader is following with him to know his experience. How does he lose with his classmates? How does he help the clouds?
POV: The POV is the third-person, but the narrator is not all- knowing because the readers cannot know other people’s thought. The narrator only show the things that close or happen with the boy. In 4th opening, the boy gets lost, but the readers only can see the boy is trying to find his classmates and teacher. The readers never see what his classmates and teacher are doing at that time because the main character (the boy) does not know.
Salience: I think the saliences are the boy’s red hat and scarf. Red is a conspicuous color, so the red hat and scarf can help the boy to be conspicuous. The boy is the main character, so he need to be different and easily to find. The red hat and scarf can help the readers keep their eyes on the boy.
Frame: When the boy out of sector 7, the pictures have a rectangle frame for each, but when the boy comes in the sector 7, the frame is disappeared. I think the mean is when the boy out of sector 7, he is in a normal world, so his imagination has boundaries, but when he comes in the sector 7, his imagination has not any boundaries because he can use his much imagination and creativity to help the clouds to change to be differently.
I think this book is a Science fantasy because people design and make speak clouds in sector 7. Sector 7 is a science factory, and no one have magic in this story.
Opinion: This is interesting picture book because it is about an unimaginable experience for the boy. The cloud can have a communication with human, and they have their own thought. I believe the kids will like this book because this book can help them to have a fantasy for clouds and the city. They may think sector 7 is in somewhere for this city. This book only has picture, so the kids need to associate the character’ expression and behavior to conjecture what is going on. Also, young kids can read the book by their self because this book does not have any text. The kid can guess what the characters’ talking is.
Character: The main character is the boy because the whole story is happening on this boy. The reader is following with him to know his experience. How does he lose with his classmates? How does he help the clouds?
POV: The POV is the third-person, but the narrator is not all- knowing because the readers cannot know other people’s thought. The narrator only show the things that close or happen with the boy. In 4th opening, the boy gets lost, but the readers only can see the boy is trying to find his classmates and teacher. The readers never see what his classmates and teacher are doing at that time because the main character (the boy) does not know.
Salience: I think the saliences are the boy’s red hat and scarf. Red is a conspicuous color, so the red hat and scarf can help the boy to be conspicuous. The boy is the main character, so he need to be different and easily to find. The red hat and scarf can help the readers keep their eyes on the boy.
Frame: When the boy out of sector 7, the pictures have a rectangle frame for each, but when the boy comes in the sector 7, the frame is disappeared. I think the mean is when the boy out of sector 7, he is in a normal world, so his imagination has boundaries, but when he comes in the sector 7, his imagination has not any boundaries because he can use his much imagination and creativity to help the clouds to change to be differently.
I think this book is a Science fantasy because people design and make speak clouds in sector 7. Sector 7 is a science factory, and no one have magic in this story.
December 13, 2019
The lofty skies seem to be a repeat calling to Wiesner. This time a class trip to the top of the Empire State Building reveals to our young protagonist a fog-fulled factory in which clouds are dispatched. Sector 7, as the factory is known, is uniform in its role and function. Everything has its place and meaning yet the boy, seeing how the clouds wish for something greater, intervenes and has them floating out under a range of fascinating shapes and sizes - much to their delight. As they are released onlookers (cats and children especially) stand agog at these new, imaginative possibilities.
More than his usual work there is a depth and richness here in the reader's potential exploration. Wordless save for the title, Wiesner lets the pictures do all the talking but, as with Free Fall there is so much to find and discover here. It is, in a way, a mirror for the creative and imaginative flourishes of Wiesner's own artistic process.
More than his usual work there is a depth and richness here in the reader's potential exploration. Wordless save for the title, Wiesner lets the pictures do all the talking but, as with Free Fall there is so much to find and discover here. It is, in a way, a mirror for the creative and imaginative flourishes of Wiesner's own artistic process.
November 16, 2017
When a book can make you smile, laugh out loud and touch your heart, all merely with illustrations, it is definitely a WOW book! This story is about a boy who is on a field trip with his class and they go to the Empire State Building. His hat, scarf and gloves are whisked away by the wind at the top and arrange themselves on a nearby cloud. The boy befriends the cloud and is taken away into the sky to Sector 7, the cloud dispatch center. The illustrations are phenomenal and really bring this magical adventure to life! I literally laughed out loud as the boy helps the clouds to break free from their “boring” normal shapes and turn into the shapes of beautiful sea creatures that he sketched. The workers of Sector 7 are not pleased and ask the clouds to take the boy back down to his class. The story ends with the boy revealing an awesome surprise for his classmates.
This is a fantastic book to use in any elementary classroom. This fantasy wordless book would be a great opportunity for teachers to enrich oral language skills, vocabulary and retelling. There are also so many themes to use for writing, such as the friendship between the boy and the cloud or having students write an alternate ending. Sector 7 would be a fun book to use to kick off a unit about clouds or weather as well! I think kids of all ages will be intrigued and swept away by their imagination when they read this touching story!
I truly loved how David Wiesner takes the reader on a journey full of imagination, all without words!! No wonder it won the Caldecott Honor for its gorgeous, detailed illustrations. I’ve always had a fondness for wordless books, however this one has now become one of my favorites! This is truly a must have for every classroom and home!
This is a fantastic book to use in any elementary classroom. This fantasy wordless book would be a great opportunity for teachers to enrich oral language skills, vocabulary and retelling. There are also so many themes to use for writing, such as the friendship between the boy and the cloud or having students write an alternate ending. Sector 7 would be a fun book to use to kick off a unit about clouds or weather as well! I think kids of all ages will be intrigued and swept away by their imagination when they read this touching story!
I truly loved how David Wiesner takes the reader on a journey full of imagination, all without words!! No wonder it won the Caldecott Honor for its gorgeous, detailed illustrations. I’ve always had a fondness for wordless books, however this one has now become one of my favorites! This is truly a must have for every classroom and home!
December 13, 2010
David Wiesner is another "new to me" authors introduced to me by the children's wing of my library. Sector 7 was on display along the walls above the picture book shelves. The gorgeous cover got my attention immediately and I had to take it home to peruse.
Wiesner is a children's book illustrator and an author of "wordless picture books." From my time judging graphic novels for the Cybils, I've come to think of them as graphic picture books, which I know, is redundant. Nonetheless, I like the term because his illustrations and the stories they portray are as complex and interesting as the graphic novels I've read and sometimes more so!
Sector 7 begins with a field trip to the Empire State Building and a ride to the top (something I would love to do some day). From there things become fantastic as the main character befriends a cloud and goes off to visit the factory or school or city or whatever it is where clouds come from. The adults who run the place want to send the boy home but he manages to have an influence on the clouds before he's returned. The results are magical and absolutely charming.
My son who a year ago wouldn't touch a wordless book, devoured this one. We both went through the book twice on our own and once together. We had fun comparing notes and our versions of the story. My son is actually asking for me to check the book out again.
Wiesner is a children's book illustrator and an author of "wordless picture books." From my time judging graphic novels for the Cybils, I've come to think of them as graphic picture books, which I know, is redundant. Nonetheless, I like the term because his illustrations and the stories they portray are as complex and interesting as the graphic novels I've read and sometimes more so!
Sector 7 begins with a field trip to the Empire State Building and a ride to the top (something I would love to do some day). From there things become fantastic as the main character befriends a cloud and goes off to visit the factory or school or city or whatever it is where clouds come from. The adults who run the place want to send the boy home but he manages to have an influence on the clouds before he's returned. The results are magical and absolutely charming.
My son who a year ago wouldn't touch a wordless book, devoured this one. We both went through the book twice on our own and once together. We had fun comparing notes and our versions of the story. My son is actually asking for me to check the book out again.
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