What a cute conversation started book. This is a great way to talk to kids about mood disorders or mood zones. I love how it talks about each mood and feelings/changes that occur. Going to read this to my class next year.

Great story to initiate conversation about moods and mental health. Nice and easy following for children to be able to understand

This is a great resource to start a conversation with elementary kids about mental health and mood disorders. Elijah's brother Manny lives with a mood disorder that causes him to live with extreme and changing moods. Elijah explains these various moods in terms of clouds that follow Manny around, clarifying that while we all experience various moods, Manny's can be difficult to manage and can cause behavior issues. The tone is very matter of fact and accepting and there is a realistic portrayal of how treatment can help manage moods and provide coping tools, but doesn't just magically make the mood disorder go away. The skills guide for kids and resources for adults are both helpful. This would be a great addition to school libraries.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Manny's brother Elijah does not understand that his brother has feelings and people have different moods. When Elijah finally asks Manny explains to him what it means to have a mood disorder. This is a great way to teach children that not everyone's the same but that people are also allowed to have bad days too.

Manny’s Mood Clouds are such an amazing resource to teach children about emotions and mood disorders. My daughter liked to see the different color clouds and was able to tell me what emotion each cloud represented. This book is helpful for children to be able to express what emotion they are feeling as well.

This was such a great story. I would certainly use this with students who have been diagnosed with a mood disorder or who have siblings with the diagnosis. I think the author did well to explain the quick changes in moods and ways to cope with those feelings. I also like that the book provides tools that students can use if they are having trouble with regulating their emotions.

This was such a beautiful way to explain mood disorders to kids. I’ve been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder since I was eight, and I desperately wish I had this when I was little.

One line that really hit me was ‘I always try to make Manny’s cloud stay yellow because that one’s my favorite. I like seeing Manny happy.’ I have a younger sister, and I know that my mental health issues have effected her drastically. While I obviously want more books from the perspective of a person with a mood disorder, it is important to remember that it effects our loved ones.

Also, I loved that the characters were two little boys. It’s amazing to see little boy characters feeling their feelings in healthy way, in such an anti-toxic masculity way.

Highly recommend. I’ll get this for my cousins, and for my kids when I have them. Adults could learn just about as much as their kids.

For a children’s book, this one deals with some heavy hitting issues, mainly moods and mood disorders. This one introduces us to a little boy who realizes his older brother has been acting “different” lately, in a way that he cannot understand. Whenever his moods change, there are colorful clouds above his head. Confused about his brother’s clouds, he asks his mother what is going on. Wisely, she lets him know that we all have little clouds above us sometimes (this is a good reminder for the adults in the room as well as the children). This book does a brilliant job of making our various emotions and feelings expressible, painting anger as a red cloud with thunder and lightning, sadness as a melancholy blue cloud, and panic and worry and anxiety as a purple cloud. While the little boy attempts to always make sure his brother’s cloud is yellow, a sign of happiness, his parents introduce him to the lifelong truth that we cannot always control the color of someone’s clouds or how they feel, but we can be there for them and try to help them work through their feelings. His brother ends up seeing a therapist, a new concept to the little boy, and discovers he has a mood disorder. Eventually, between friendship, family, and therapy, everyone figures out how to help the brother feel better on his rough days, and get through his emotions in a healthy, positive way. This one is so important, so meaningful, and makes exceedingly difficult issues easy to communicate and understand. Above all, it reminds us to show love to our family, friends, and peers, as we have no idea what’s going on within.

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!

Loved the book cover and the colors on the book! It’s a book all ages can understand.I think it’s a book every library and class room should have.

In Manny's Mood Clouds, we learn about the big feelings of Manny through the eyes of his little sibling Elijah. I thought this was a gentle approach to introducing the very underrepresented discussion around mood disorders. The author brought in vocabulary that validates and educates on how we all have big feelings at times but that some people have feelings that can be harder to identify and control. I loved that it was digestible to my daughter, who was able to follow along easily and that it opened a conversation naturally for us. In the middle of the story, a little lightbulb might as well have popped out of her head as she connected to Manny and spoke of how sometimes her clouds didn't match up with how she wanted to feel. To me, there is no greater feat that a children's book can accomplish than to connect with its audience in a meaningful way.

I was so thrilled to see the main characters were BIPOC children, as mental health and feelings are highly underrepresented in many BIPOC communities. This is important representation for kids to see themselves included in the faces of books normalizing discussions around mental health.

My Big-Cloud Accumulating 6-year-old's Thoughts "I like that it explained what a mood disorder is, I didn't know about those before. I have a lot of clouds in my head all the time, they are very confusing. I like that this story talked about them and made me feel like it's okay. I also liked that they gave us ideas on how to change our cloud colors if we need!"

It was refreshing to see a kids book about moods and mood disorders. Manny has clouds over his head and his moods change without warning. He goes to therapy, which I think is important for kids to see that it can be a good thing to do. There is a guide at the end of the book to help adults with conversations they may need to have with kids.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The premise is good, and I loved the illustrations, but wondered if children would be looking for actual clouds above their sibling's head and may find the text confusing, especially if they are on the autistic spectrum. I think it would help if it was explained at the genning that the clouds are 'as if' rather than the child narrator objectively seeing the clouds. That being said, the child narrator covers some really good things, such as there are times when he is scared of his sibling when he gets angry, and his parents explaining that the emotions Manny feels are much stronger than children typically feel because he has a mood disorder. The text at the end of the story for parents/carers is very useful. All in all, I think this book will be helpful but it would be important that a parent/carer reads the book with the sibling of a child with a mood disorder, as it is bound to raise questions and the sibling will need to be supported because it will also raise feelings for them. It should also be noted that the book is American and, with the current state of CAMHS, it is unlikely that a UK Manny and his family will be able to access the treatment that the US Manny and his family received.

A great resource to help children not only understand their own moods but also other people’s, how sometimes nobody is to blame for a bad mood and there isn’t always a quick fix to those bad moods.

This picture book tells the story of Elijah and his brother Manny who is diagnosed with a mood disorder. Elijah explains that Manny has mood clouds above his head that change colour depending on how he is feeling. He also explains that his brother seems to have had bigger clouds, or that they are changing often. He also comments on how he feels or how others feel when Manny's mood changes sometimes. There is discussion about therapy and ways that children can help each other when they are upset. I like the cloud and colour analogies as they often match with other systems used in schools like Zones of Regulation or the 5 point scale, or even the emotions in Inside Out. The text is fairly easy to read, it is large and is black on a white background. The illustrations are bright, detailed and colourful and aid in the comprehension or understanding of the story. This is a really well written book that I think would be helpful for families of children who are struggling themselves or know a sibling or classmate who is struggling with emotions or mental health. I would recommend this book to parents and teachers of children in the age 3-9 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This book addressed a little-talked-about topic: mood disorders (particularly in children). It's done in a sensitive manner. The author nicely demonstrates the impact Manny's moods have on his family, and it's wonderful to see how they support him. The story and illustrations are done in a way that will engage young readers. This would be a helpful resource for parents and teachers.

Manny's Mood Clouds by Lourdes Ubidia.
A Story about Moods and Mood Disorders.
What is Elijah to do?
Elijah's brother Manny has been different lately. Not different in how he looks, or feels, or sounds. Just different in how he acts. Not to mention the big colourful clouds above his head! There are yellow ones, and red ones, and blue and purple too... Elijah has tried to make the clouds above Manny's head go away but they always seem to stay!
This is a lovely little read for young children. Great illustrations. 5*.

This is a sensitive book about a boy with a mood disorder, shared from the perspective of his sibling.

Elijah notices that his brother has been behaving different lately and shares the different mood clouds that he observes. The story shows the effect on the family and how they all join together to support Manny and his mental health.

This book is written and illustrated in a way that young elementary kids can understand and enjoy, while also giving helpful guidance to helping a loved one navigate these tough feelings. I can see this being very valuable for a family navigating similar challenges.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance reader copy!