"Abigail had a flutter of butterflies.
But so did someone else.
He sat beside her on the bench
and didn't have to say a word."
Growing awareness for those who experience anxiety and depression can only have real benefits for everyone, but especially for those children who experience the 'dark clouds' that can plague them. When we share books with our own children, or the children in our classrooms, we begin to build empathy and also give voice to others who have similar feelings. When kids see themselves in the books they read, they acknowledge those feelings, and learn that they are not alone in feeling that way.
Every day I read a quote from Walter Dean Myers that has a place of prominence on the bulletin board that faces my desk:
We need diversity because kids who never see themselves in
a book will eventually become kids we never see with a book!
Reading this book allows all children to begin to understand how depression makes others feel. On the day a dark cloud follows Abigail inside, it begins to impact her everywhere. Her friends at school don't want to play with her. Ballet feels different and she doesn't want to go back. Even her birthday cake holds no appeal.
Her father helps with her hair when she cannot comb it. When he adds a yellow polka-dot bow, it is the first change in the color palette. Another student sits with her; no words are needed. She also realizes that her father sometimes has the same feelings. She cannot dream the cloud away. So, she decides she will begin to take little steps on her own to bring about change.
"Abigail had a dark cloud.
It followed her to the beach.
She trapped it in a tall sandcastle
and went for pistachio ice cream."
Adding color and beauty to the images created to match the clear text works beautifully in helping readers understand that, while the dark cloud won't just vanish, acceptance of its presence is a step forward for Abigail.
Sensitive and inspiring. Bravo!
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