Book Review || Manny's Mood Clouds (2018)
"The book provides Elijah's point of view, as he expresses his feelings and concerns regarding the changes he is noticing in his older brother, Manny's, behavior and moods."
Manny is a boy who feels things deeply, greatly, & in an all-consuming way. Depending on how he feels, Manny’s mood cloud changes colour. This can sometimes frighten his younger brother, Elijah because he doesn’t know when Manny’s mood cloud might change, without warning.
As Elijah explains to the reader, we all have mood clouds but Manny’s are different because they take over every aspect of his life & are difficult to control. With the support of his parents & younger brother, Manny starts seeing a therapist to learn how to approach life with a mood disorder.
The illustrations in this book truly lend themselves to an important overall message & one that I am overjoyed to see presented in such a format. It’s important for children to feel they have the ability to speak about things that might be affecting them, even if they aren’t certain how to put these feelings into words. In this story, we see how mood disorders affect a great array of people & look different per the person they affect.
Bringing forth books with this type of message is crucial & arguably an essential part of our social community. Even if you are not someone who lives with a mood disorder or someone who knows another person who does, it remains important to be aware that this is a reality for many folks. We all participate in making this world a welcoming & safe environment for each other. This effort starts at home & it begins when we are children.
As per the author’s note at the end of the book, ensuring that children have a safe, calm, kind, & healthy environment is vital. I think that books such as this allow us all to grow & learn. There are gentle tips & tricks within this book that allow any reader of any age to learn something.
Most of all, I was glad for Manny. I’m happy to see that he was given love & support from his family & was able to pursue therapy as a means of maneuvering through life with his mood disorder. Though the opposite is often true, I am glad that children will be able to see the positive possibility explored in this narrative & one that is hopefully experienced by them in their own lives.
Thank you to NetGalley, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, & Lourdes Ubidia for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
C. 💌