• Skip to main content

Sue Wootton

Poet, Writer

  • Home
  • About
    • Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship
    • Awards
    • Reviews
  • Books
    • Strip
    • Cloudcatcher
    • The Yield
    • By Birdlight
    • Hourglass
    • Magnetic South
    • Out of Shape
    • The Happiest Music on Earth
  • Poetry
    • The Yield
    • By Birdlight
    • Out of Shape
    • Magnetic South
    • Hourglass
    • Ōwheo
    • Sea foam at Gemstone Beach
  • Fiction
    • Strip
    • Strip: Chapter 4
    • The Happiest Music on Earth
  • Kids
    • Cloudcatcher
  • Shop
    • Strip
    • Cloudcatcher
    • By Birdlight
    • Out of Shape
    • Magnetic South
    • Hourglass
    • My account
    • Basket
    • Checkout

Kids

Read Sue’s work for children in:

  • NZ School Journal Part 2, #1 2011 – Jimbo
  • NZ School Journal Part 2, #2 2008 – The Second-hand Tent (also produced on CD as song)
  • NZ School Journal Part 2, #3 2011 – Sports Day
  • 4 poems in A Treasury of New Zealand Poems for Children – edited by Paula Green, Random House 2014.

A Treasury of NZ Poems for Children

Cloudcatcher

Cloudcatcher, Sue WoottonThe sun is shining and Mr Bellavista, grower of prize tomatoes, is happy. But when clouds creep over the sun, his outlook darkens. His tomatoes will never ripen, and what’s more, the sky looks a mess.

Mr Bellavista knows exactly what to do – he must catch all the clouds in the sky. And he has a super-duper never-a-problem no-mistakes BRILLIANT way to do it….

Or has he?

What kids say

it is easy and fun to read. My favourite part was when he painted all the clouds.” Riley (8)

I liked the pictures. My favourite part was when he chucked the Cloudcatcher in the water and the family of hermit crabs moved in.” Keegan (7)

Great! Awesomest book ever! I really like the pictures and the story’s really cool. Mr Bellavista’s a bit stupid and a bit smart.” Xanthe (8)

It was actually great. It’s really really interesting and it shows how clouds can be beautiful and at the same time very important.” Tui (10)

I like everything in the pictures and the story…especially the cloudwatcher machine with extendalegs.” Archie (5)

Mr Bellavista has lots of arms. That’s funny. He’s very busy. The chickens are funny too! I like all the critters!” Eliza (4)

© 2025 Sue Wootton · Website by Arts Net