This book could have been so amazing. Unfortunately, it will never, ever be one I recommend to someone. Actually, I will be doing the exact opposite and telling people to stay away from it. This is a book for parents who want easy kids and “specialists” who just want kids to be “normal”; not adults who genuinely want to help those children who are struggling with something. It is more along the lines of ABA therapy for autistic people; “you’re broken, and you need to fix it”.
Usually compulsions come from life experiences and it is how we deal with them that makes it better or worse. There is usually a reason behind a compulsion, and if you want to help, you need to figure out what each reason is, and then learn the truth or facts about the situation to solve the problem as a unit. For example, learn about hand washing together.
There are times when washing your hands twice is necessary. The first time gets a lot of dirt and bacteria off, but after a certain point, the soap has done its job and switches to just spreading around what is left. The second washing gets the remainder of the bacteria. A visible example of this is when you come in from gardening - the first time you wash your hands, you get the dirt off, the second time, you get the dirt out from under your fingernails and creases. This is taught in CNA and MA courses, along with medical school; but, you could easily find similar information for various situations online. From that, you could talk to the child about it, explaining it at a level they can understand, and maybe even make a chart of what causes the need, vs. the majority which can be successfully cleaned with just one washing.
If there is no harm in the action, and it makes them feel better, why does it need to be stopped? An example could be knocking on wood when you think of something that worries you - it doesn’t cause harm, and it gives them an ounce of control over something in a big, overwhelming, scary world.

Actual helpful information could be things like: if you worry about if you turned off/unplugged your hair straightener - just put it in your purse, or take a picture of it everyday, then you can use that to silence the cloud. If you always worry about whether or not you locked the door when you leave, try singing a silly song about the door being locked before you leave and make it different each day so that you can quiet the cloud, knowing that you did. Instead, the “helpful tips” this book gives are things like:
#1: Do the opposite of what the cloud wants - so, Chloe should kick the dog? Shouldn’t lock the door? Shouldn’t wash their messy hands? They should tell lies? This is so overly simple that it is problematic.
#3: Tell the cloud that it isn’t the boss anymore. The cloud is a part of your brain - it should be about balance and working together.

Essentially, it seems like the goal of this book is to make the child mask, not help. A much better goal would be to teach children that they aren’t broken, they don’t need to mask, and that their brain is different, and that makes it beautiful. (Side note, masking leads to faster burnout which is also not helpful for children or anyone.)
The adult-child engagement questions at the end of the book are actually very good, and could lead to good and helpful things, assuming that the adult doesn’t encourage anything else from the book.
I do want to state that the illustrations were amazing and beautiful. They deserved better words to go along with them.

Chloe and the Bossy Cloud is a childrens book about children with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and a bossy cloud that follows her and tries to keep her safe!
My honest review is that I initially enjoyed the intentions behind this book because I will always advocate for mental health. However I don’t think the book was executed well. It didn’t rhyme or make any sense to me. I don’t think it’s the best idea to read a book about a scary cloud to a child that’s already suffering with anxiety. If I was a child being read this book it would have caused me to panic, thinking about how a scary storm cloud is following me. I get the point behind it all, that the cloud is a representation of the intrusive and irrational thoughts, but this just did not land for me.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and to NetGalley for an E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone diagnosed with OCD, this story resonated with me on such a deep, personal level. It captures the inner storm of overwhelming thoughts so gently, yet powerfully and offers comforting, practical ways to face them.
I’ll be carrying some of these calming messages with me, and I know they’ll help when the Cloud starts to take over. This book isn’t just for kids it’s a soothing guide for anyone navigating anxiety or intrusive thoughts.

A heartfelt thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I’ll be recommending this to families, educators, and honestly, to fellow adults too. It’s that meaningful.

I loved how the author was able to simplify techniques for managing OCD so clearly and write them down in a way that would make sense to children.

The illustrations were beautiful and I thought the cloud slowly taking up more and more of the page was clever. I also thought it was great that initially the cloud seemed helpful as this is so often the way with worry or OCD type thoughts

I am so pleased to be seeing more and more books tackling mental health in children written for the child

As someone who doesn't have OCD specifically but has suffered from intrusive thoughts due to mental illness, I related hard to the image of a cloud hanging over you and causing distress under the guise of helpfulness. It also helped me learn a little bit about how OCD can be managed, and I think the couple of pages suggesting how parents can open a discussion with their kids about the book is nifty.

This book explores the struggles of a child with OCD. It gives life to the symptom as a bossy cloud and gets bigger each time the child listens to the cloud. I appreciate the girl going to her mom and asking for help. My kids do not have OCD and reading this book with them, it was hard for them to understand why Chloe “just doesn’t do what the cloud says”. It brought up a good conversation that we later had about how children and adults can get sick and sometimes we can’t see it like a cold. My kids are 7 and 4, explaining to them that mental health can happen to anyone at any age and sometimes they can’t turn away from their bossy cloud and other times, they do need help from others. Hence, we should always try to be kind because we don’t know what everyone is going through. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

#ThisIsMyWonderfulFace #NetGalley

A children’s book about OCD that literally says at the end she can now be happy and playful because she doesn’t have OCD anymore., made me angry. 2 stars just for the beautiful art

This is such a good conversation starter to use with young children struggling with OCD or even just anxiety. I appreciate that it shows how the symptoms, intrusive thoughts, and rituals increase in intensity and complexity over time as Chloe listens to the bossy cloud. The ending where Chloe talks to her mom about her worries does seem a bit rushed in its helpful advice on how to counteract those thoughts. However, the advice is nonetheless good, if maybe a little over-simplified. Dealing with any kind of mental health issue can be a daily struggle and not so easily resolved. I appreciate that the author most likely wanted to keep this lighthearted and hopeful, but that is still the reality that children with OCD must face. I would hate for a child to come away from this thinking that there’s something wrong with them if they can’t simply tell their bossy cloud to leave them alone. Again, though, this makes for a great conversation starter and easy to understand visualization for children to introduce the concept. The artwork is also lovely and engaging!

What a beautiful book!

I loved that this book presented a problem and also offered a real, thoughtful solution. I think the strategies outlined in this book could help kids who have anxious, intrusive thoughts whether it’s related to OCD or something else and I think that is so wonderful! We could ALL use more healthy coping mechanisms!!! I also love the caregiver’s guide in the back of the book for adults; what a wonderful tool!

First off -- what a pretty art style! I really liked this book. As someone who suffers from OCD and as someone who works in the mental health field, I really liked this. It showed how OCD can start to come on, how, if you feed into it, it can get even worse. I appreciate it showing some cognitive behavioral therapy tips to help manage it. I also appreciate the caregiver tips at the end.

Wow! What a great read. This is perfect for the kiddos trying to get out from under their "Worries". Really helpful for those OCD-Type symptoms. The art and visuals are beautiful.

Chloe and the Bossy Cloud is a short story about a girl who develops OCD. It gives several examples of how it affects her life in ever increasing ways. When she finally asks her mom for help, she’s given three tools to overcome her “big cloud” and turn it into a manageable cloud again. The books serves as a good introduction to OCD.

This picture book explores what OCD can be like for kids. It depicts this mental disorder as a cloud floating over the protagonist's head, and this cloud gets bigger and bigger, making more and more demands on the little girl. The author did a great job of portraying common fears and different types of compulsions, and shows how these rituals get more and more involved over time. However, the resolution felt rushed, and the tips at the end for parents were very broad and oversimplified. Still, I appreciate the accurate representation of this frequently misunderstood mental disorder.

The illustrations are airy and expressive, perfectly pairing with a story about managing big feelings and setting boundaries. A light, empowering read with visuals that feel like watching emotions float across the sky.

Cute! This story would have helped me realize that what I was struggling with as a child was in fact OCD. I chuckled at the cloud-ception

This is a great tool for children with OCD. It normalizes and puts a name to the diagnosis and gives helpful child appropriate tips.

I would not recommend reading this to children who do not have OCD.

Chloe is a conversation starter

Chloe can definitely begin to open up the topic of behaviors and internal OCD thoughts. I would definitely encourage caregivers to pre-read the story and sample questions at the end. I think the caregiver who knows the child’s personality and behaviors best will be able to adapt the messages, questions and tips to the child best.

This book is not a one time solution, but should be looked at a conversation starter/refresher for children who may struggle with OCD tendencies.

The illustrations of Chloe’s progression of the cloud/her OCD displays was very visual and emotion provoking.

I received a copy of this book from Natasha Daniels and Hachette UK | Jessica Kingsley Publishers. I am voluntarily leaving a review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you, Netgalley, for this ebook ARC! All my thoughts in this voluntary review are my own.

The book has beautiful, colorful, and expressive illustrations! Lovely and engaging to look at. I especially loved the facial expressions and how the cloud was depicted.

I loved that the cloud didn’t disappear at the end, but instead became smaller and sat on a shelf. It would have been unrealistic for it to disappear completely. I also appreciated the child-appropriate explanations and tips, along with the resources provided at the end.

I do think, however, that the tips were too vague, general, and broad. ALWAYS doing the EXACT opposite of what the cloud says could go pretty badly in certain circumstances, for instance. The book didn’t entirely speak to the real fears and compulsions people with OCD can have.

The book also made managing OCD look too easy and too quickly accomplished. This could result in frustration, tears, and negative feelings about themselves. It could also lead to arguments if family believes managing symptoms should be easy and the child is still struggling.

I do greatly appreciate this book and think it is definitely educational, assuring, and entertaining. I wish, however, that the book had been a little longer to show Chloe struggling more with learning how to manage her symptoms and working with her family and professionals to support and help her.

‘Chloe and the Bossy Cloud’ is a great introduction to OCD for young children. Chloe is a happy little girl who loves playing and drawing until a dark cloud starts giving her rules to stay safe. At first, it seems helpful, but soon it becomes overwhelming and makes her more anxious. Written by child OCD specialist Natasha Daniels, this book does a fantastic job of explaining intrusive thoughts and compulsions in a way that’s easy for kids to understand. The illustrations are bright and engaging, and I loved that it includes resources and tips for parents on how to implement the strategies. It was a little cut and dry at times, but since it’s for young kids, I get why it was kept simple. Overall, it’s a great tool for families looking to help their child better understand and manage their feelings.

Chloe and the Bossy Cloud is a delightful children's picture book for any child who might be worried about OCD symptoms beginning to develop. With vivid and whimsical illustrations, Chloe and the Bossy Cloud will even become a wonderful resource for parents, teachers, and child therapists working with children discovered with OCD symptoms.

Natasha Daniels magnificently turns OCD symptoms into a literary character by developing the cloud through both narrative and illustration-- a literary character which children and parents alike will quickly identify as not being a hero or even a friend but also will not find as necessarily scary, either.