When the Clouds Came
Written by Sarah Yi-Mei Tsiang | Published by Orca Books Mar 2026
The sky likes to be sunny so people can have fun outside—like the boy and his grandmother as they plant seeds.
It does its best to contain the clouds and rain so the boy and his grandma can have a picnic together, eating bao. Or do Tai Chi, or play mahjong in the park. But his grandma hasn’t been well lately. And the sky isn't sure it can hold the clouds back anymore…like when the ambulance comes. And then when Grandma doesn’t come home.
It rains and rains, and everyone goes indoors, including the boy and his family, who are devastated by the grandmother's death. The sky sees the boy has rain inside him too, and encourages him to let it out. The boy cries and cries, and his mother holds him. But we see that eventually, just like the rain, his tears stop. The streets have been washed clean and the plants are blooming. His grandma has a special place on their family's altar, which includes flowers from the garden they planted together, showing she will live on in their home and hearts forever.
Watercolour and Crayons, with Photoshop touch-up
When the manuscript came to my inbox, it felt like destiny. In January of 2024, just few months before Orca contacted me, my grandma passed away suddenly but peacefully. This story is such a poetic depiction of grief and loss. In the process of illustrating this book, I felt myself being healed along with the boy in the story. I poured my grief into the pages with rain; felt my heart lift with the clearing clouds; and left loving memories of my own Nainai (grandma) in the details.
I think it would be a great read to anyone that want to introduce process of loss to a little one softly.
