A small dense mass of scribbles is cleverly used here to reflect a little girl’s dark mood — she literally and metaphorically has a cloud hanging over her head.

Unlike her classmates who are cheerfully drawing independently, she sits in class doing nothing and looking positively morose. But not everyone is oblivious to the girl’s dark cloud, and it’s heartening to see one of her classmates reaching out to her, out of her own volition.

Everyone, even children, gets the blues sometimes, and while they tend to send out unwelcoming signals with their body language and behaviour, as this book shows, most of the time, a little kindness and understanding can go a long way to make them feel better and, more importantly, less alone. This gentle and heartwarming story thus encourages kids to be more empathetic to the people around them, and shows them how a simple gesture of friendship can make a real difference in someone else’s day.

p.s. I love the cute little twist at the end, where the dark cloud is put to much better use in the little girl’s art!