BRENDAN MORGAN AND THE BEST EVER CLOUD MACHINE. Evans, Gervem Art by Scot Ritchie, Toronto, Annick Press, c1985. unpaged, paper, ISBN 0-920303-18-8 (paperbound boards) $12.95. 0-92030.V 17-X (paper) $5.95. CIP Kindergarten-Grade 2 Reviewed by Joan Weller Volume 13 Number 4 1985 July Remember lying on the grass, looking up at the clouds, and guessing their shapes? That is what Brendan and Morgan are doing at the beginning of this story. The preschoolers then undertake constructing a cloud-making machine, equipped with squirters to control the size and shape of their clouds. Airborne with the help of balloons and a sail, the boys in their machine make clouds and crash into a dirigible-cloud dispenser appearing from nowhere. Overcoming this obstacle, they proudly return to earth. The story's fantasy theme has imaginative potential. However, the story gets hogged down in lengthy sentences, long paragraphs, and repetitive language. The characterless cartoon-like figures are very unappealing. The book's overall design with text and pictures scattered across the page lacks focus and fails to aid an already disappointing picture book. Joan Weller, Ottawa Public Library, Ottawa, Ont.