This picture book would be an excellent way to start a conversation about depression and hard feelings with your child. The story leaves room for discussion and the illustrations are lovely (I would like to hang a copy of the illustration on page 27 on my wall.). All children experience hard feelings, so I would recommend this book to everyone, not just children with diagnosed clinical depression. It could be beneficial to adults too; I admittedly choked up several times at the relatability of the story.

I feel for this book so freaking much!
I can totally understand how and why this story exists, will live to tell the stories of many young people who are with mental health issues.

This is such a wonderful way of representing what we go through. Depression doesn’t choose anyone to become depressed. The illustrations exactly demonstrates this. Let’s not put in a box why and how depression happens to anyone.

The first step anyone can help is to accept it and let the ones who are affected with depression, especially the younger ones, understand and be aware that there are ways to talk about it and let them know that they aren’t doing anything wrong.

I can express so less in words what I felt while reading this book.

If you love the work of Debbie Tung, you will love this one. They have similar presentation and artstyle with similar themes.

Thank you, Kids Can Press, for the advance reading copy.

Thank you Netgalley for an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Abigail has a dark cloud. It follows her all around and sometimes it tangles her thoughts. The cloud is always with her, but some people close to her are there to lend a hand and be a friend. Even though Abigail never gets rid of her cloud, she learns to live with it and find the beauty that is still around her.

I thought this book was a good illustration of depression. I think we sometimes forget that children can deal with depression too, and it can be a hard thing to recognize and discuss. The book made for a good illustration of how it can feel and look and I felt like it could help lead to a discussion about more difficult emotions.

This book is being published 5/2/23

This book is a lovely depiction of how a little girl is followed by a cloud of sadness, It follows her everywhere and gets in the way of doing things.. Then she learns how to accept that the cloud is part of her life but it doesn't have to dominate her life. She can coexist with it while still living, learning and growing.
I suspect this book is going to resonate with a lot of people, not just children. It will be a safe way to open up discussions about feelings and strategies to manage them.

Another good story to help give representation to kids who struggle with mental health. These kinds of books are important to help kids discuss how they’re feeling. Would recommend.

So, I like the premise of this book and the artwork is really interesting. I'm just not sure how much the actual story will resonate with a child and engage in any possible discussion around the dark cloud. I was very confused for much of the story and the prose didn't always align. I guess I found it disjointed and that the plot jumped around in a way that as a reader (adult or being read to) I'd have trouble with.

I do think that the illustrations were lovely and the message that was being covered was a good one. And I suppose if you were going to talk to your child about each page as you were going through this book to explain what was going on, then it would work. But as a stand alone that you would then speak to after, I don't feel that this would be effective. The idea that the young child has a dark cloud that never goes away is a great idea. Wish it had been executed fully or a bit better.

Dark Cloud by Anna Lazowski is a wonderfully written story that accurately depicts the feelings that depression may cause from day to day. Although this is a children's book, as an adult with depression I found it very relatable. The illustrations by Penny Neville-Lee go along perfectly with the theme and overall feelings of the story. I think this book is so important to help our younger generation successfully put words to feelings and to reassure them that they are not alone with those feelings.

3 Stars

I think this book is a great launching pad to a larger discussion for parents and children. It shows how a dad recognizes his daughter has a dark cloud (depression) and talks about it with her.
While I like the art style, I don't know how well children at a story time would receive it. I love what it discusses and how it discusses it, but I think it would be a book that I might be able to use for a story time around emotions and how to talk about them.
Some of the lines, particularly at the end, just cut off and does not have a rhyme to it (most of the book does). This doesn't let itself well to reading aloud at a story time, but again, I think it is important to have because it is something that a parent and child could read together and then have a more open conversation about.

This book brought tears to my eyes! Big feelings, such as anxiety, sorrow and depression are incredibly scary to talk about. This book is a conversation starter for families or within a classroom setting. The illustrations are gorgeous and show the feelings well.

Dark Cloud is a book that lends itself to navigating emotions that children may not necessarily understand, and adults may not necessarily know where to begin in holding these difficult conversations. This picture book delicately embraces the genuine process of what depression may look and feel like for anyone, especially a young child, and provides a glimmer of hope in the end.

The illustrations convey the message of how a "dark cloud" hanging over the main character (Abigail) may feel (e.g., gloomy, rain, damp, sadness, etc.), and can impact one's day, actions, and decisions. The color scheme throughout the book matches this message perfectly with grey-toned illustrations and dark colors. Towards the end of the book, the reader begins to see bright colors pushing through as the character begins to push through her depression as well.

An author's note is also included at the end, sharing the book's intent and helpful resources for anyone struggling with depression and/or difficult times.

Such a powerful and much-needed book for any child struggling and trying to cope with their emotions. A perfect book to serve as a springboard for difficult and important conversations to have.

A special thank you to @netgalley and @KidsCanPress for providing access to a digital ARC.

Talking with kids about depression is hard and this book could be a great tool. It gives multiple ways kids might describe how they are feeling and doesn’t magically make everything better. I will be adding this to the library.

What a gentle book. Talking to young children about heavy emotions can be daunting, but is important. They can feel deep sadness, depression, and anxiety, just like adults, but when they can't express how they are feeling to the people close to them, it can make them feel isolated and scared. The illustration was beautiful. Wish there was a bit more discussion between Dad and Abigail about her feelings, but I imagine that could be too much for the young children reading this book.

This is a lovely look at how to help a child deal with different emotions and feelings. The illustrations are beautiful. I loved the muted colors, and how they change an shift throughout.
A great book to talk about feelings and how to deal with them.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley, and the Publisher for the eARC! This is an introduction to what depression could be like for some individuals. I think the author did a good job bringing this complicated term into kid-friendly language and concept.

I liked how the pictures reflected how the character was feeling- when the dark cloud was present, the pictures were grey and dark. When the dark cloud was to the side, more colors began to appear.