“An empathetic and quietly profound portrait of a child’s emotional struggles.” - Kirkus
“Choosing to address clinical depression in a picture book is a brave choice that Lazowski accomplishes with her delicate words accompanied by Penny Neville-Lee’s beautiful illustrations.”
- Canadian Review of Materials Starred Review
“A perfect addition to any school or home library to engage children in speaking up about their mental health.”
- Children’s Literature Starred Review
“Perfect for SEL shelves and curriculum, this sensitive picture book is highly recommended.” School Library Journal
Published by Kids Can Press
Colby Sharp Awesome 2023 Books
The Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books 2023
“Anna Lazowski has written an essential book for young children.” - NetGalley
“As a mom, I love this book. But as a teacher, I LOVE this book! Reading social/emotional texts with my students always leads to powerful discussions. This is a must buy for any elementary school educator or therapist.” - NetGalley
“I am so glad that something that is so profound has been written for littles - I truly believe this book will make a difference in lives.” - Goodreads
Abigail has a dark cloud. It follows her everywhere. It can be a ball of worries, a swirl of fog or a long shadow. But it's always with her, getting in the way of things. Her dark cloud makes the other children distant and messes with her grand jeté during ballet class. It even takes away her appetite for birthday cake.
Then one day, Abigail begins to figure some things out about her dark cloud. Like how it's not always the same size. How she can trap it in a sandcastle at the beach. And how, sometimes, she can even step away from it and feel the sunshine on her skin.
Written with compassion and care, a thoughtful story about a little girl who visualizes her depression as a way of learning to cope.
The repetition in the text and the visual narrative pull readers in, making this an excellent read-aloud pick to spark discussions about feelings. Penny Neville-Lee's art uses soft, muted colors, with lightness and color gradually added as Abigail moves from feeling overwhelmed by her depression to learning how to live with it and even find relief from it.
Reviewed by a child psychologist, this book is a great choice for teaching social-emotional learning, critical thinking and character education lessons on perseverance and resilience.
Find out how Twitter brought Penny Neville-Lee and I together