Have you ever watched a cloud being born? It's easier said than done. Ideally, you'll pick a sunny day with a few puffy white clouds. First of all, look for the faintest threads of white starting to appear like a tiny, frayed piece of sky fabric. Gradually the strands will gather into a mound of bright white. Your cloud has appeared - as if from nowhere. But what will it grow up to be?

Clouds exist in all manner of shapes and sizes. From low-lying stratus to high-flying cirrus, Gavin Pretor-Pinney and William Grill reveal the key facts, characteristics and stories about each of the major types. We learn how they form and the altitudes they prefer; we see the ordinary and extraordinary forms they inhabit; we listen to rolling thunder and watch sparking lightning; we even look down on Earth's clouds from space - and visit them on other planets.

Highly informative and beautifully illustrated, Head in the Clouds will inspire curious young minds with lifelong meteorological wonder.