I thought this book a really important and gently written book touching on a vital topic that continues to be one adults struggle to discuss, let alone having any discussions around the impact a parents mental health can have on their children. That being said, my 5 year old didn't really grasp the concept in a meaningful way even with the photos and explanations. She knows about having a "sad/tired/things are harder for my mom than other moms" type parent, and I was hoping that reading this book with her would help us bridge the topic in a way that she could understand and ask questions or express her thoughts. But ultimately, I think she wound up a bit more confused than if we had waited until she was a little bit older. So, while I love the idea of more children's books existing to make tough topics digestible, this one should have a slightly older starting recommendation age. Instead of 4-8, I would say 7-9. As I don't know think the story is able to be processed by many under 4-6 year olds without creating additional worry or confusion that something may be wrong with their parent.

I will recommend this to older elementary kids and to teacher's I know who are looking for topics to cover with their students. I think this book could help as many parents as kids, when read together at the right age.

Pocket full of rocks is the perfect book to explain depression to children. Particularly those dealing with their parents suffering. I love how this book not only explains the feelings and thoughts that occur with depression, but also emphasizes that the parent still always loves their child. This story is a powerful tool to help families with young children.

Though I wouldn't read this book to a group of students, I think it is really important that books are available to discuss mental health with very young children who encounter this in their home life. In a Pocket full of Rocks, depression is explained in a child friendly way. There are also some useful additional resources in the back of the book to support parents in talking about depression with young children. I am very happy that this book is available to those who need support in talking about depression in their family.

What a beautiful and honest conversation about depression. I wish there were more books normalizing depression and like illnesses. Books like this help children understand that there is nothing wrong with depression, nothing they can do or fix it and explains it in a very straightforward way. Great for school counselors or psychologists.

This is a sweet way to work to explain depression to little kids. A good tool for any parent whether they experience depression themselves or just want another way to talk about mental health.

Ella is a sweet little girl who is very concerned for her Daddy. He always seems sad and struggles to get out of bed in the morning. She tries to encourage him to get up and offers him antidotes, such as a bandaid and fresh baked cookies to help him feel better. Her Daddy explains to her that he suffers from depression. Having it causes him to feel unhappy and very tired. He tells her that he feels like he has rocks in his pockets which weigh him down so he cannot function properly each day. He explains that with therapy, exercise and his loving family he can manage it most times. By giving her Daddy lots of attention and hugs she is imparting hope and strength from her heart to his.

The colourful illustrations are wonderfully done and will spark conversations and illuminate this very difficult subject. The illustrator depicts the depression as dark clouds which stalk and want to overtake Daddy. Ella witnesses the clouds of despondency turn into rainbows of hope and happiness. The author includes further information for parents, psychologists and mental health professionals at the end of the book. I highly recommend this book.

This book is more of a discussion tool than a story, but it addresses the issue of depression in a sensitive, concrete way that children can understand, and shares reassurance about how they are not to blame, their parents will always love them, and things can get better over time. The author's note at the end shares additional information and guidance for parents related to their own mental health, caring for their children, and approaching conversations like these in a wise way.

I would only recommend this, however, to families who are dealing with depression or are very close to someone who is. If a parent reads this to a very young child just to educate them about life issues, it is possible that the child will become fearful that their parent will be affected this way, and it might introduce issues that they don't need to think about. I think that elementary-aged children could benefit from this as an educational tool, but I would not read this to a preschooler or kindergartner unless they were already experiencing the affects of someone's depression in their everyday life.

A great book about a daughter understanding her father's depression. I think this is written in a way that makes understand accessible to kids without it being too scary.

Helping Children Understand Depression

This is a sweet and sad little story put out by the American Psychological Association. In it, the dad is depressed, and his young daughter notices. She can't quite understand why Daddy stays in bed and doesn't want to play with her like they used to. He explains depression, how it is affecting him, and what he's doing to help himself. The daughter gets reassurance and gives hugs. After the story ends, a couple-page spread explains depression and talking about it with children. If you as a parent or caregiver have depression, this book could help explain what it is and open up discussion with a child so they can better understand.

With Mental health at an all time high at the moment, this book is literally perfect in helping children understand what depression is.
The story follows a little girl called Ella, who asks her daddy why he doesn't get out of bed anymore and play, and her daddy explains that he has depression and what it feels like, and what can help.
Lovely special little book, that I think will be very helpful for children

Ella's father has depression. She goes through the day and you can clearly see that he does. But, Dad talks about all that he does to help him cope with it. Ella does ask if she will automatically get it when she is older and a lovely discussion ensues. I would recommend this book for anyone who has a family member that struggles with depression and would like to discuss it within the family.

Thanks to American Psychological Association + Magination Press for the e-review copy (via NetGalley) of "Pockets Full of Rocks" by Yair Engelberg, illustrated by MacKenzie Haley.

An essential book for homes and libraries as children navigate the emotions in their world, especially if a caregiver, family member, or close friend has depression. The concrete comparison of depression and heavy rocks is spot on for children to begin to understand how depression feels to others AND how it might show up in their own lives.
A fantastic way to introduce a hard topic to littles.

My spouse struggles with depression so I was thankful to be able to read this book. It is simple and simply explains to a child what depression is and that it is not the child or the parent’s fault. It has lovey illustrations as well. It is great starting place for anyone wanting to begin discussing depression with a child and perhaps be used as a tool to discuss why a depressed parent may be behaving as they are. I will definitely be reading this with my child.

I was so intrigued by the title of this book and the front cover. The story is about a fad explaining to his daughter about his depression. I love the idea of a pocket of rocks but I felt like more could have been done with this and the story could have utilised this even more. This book is great for children who are experiencing this with a parent or cared and need a bit of help explaining what they might be going through in a child friendly way. However I do worry that it left the book on a note that the child could fix her dad... although it does say it’s not your job to fix me, it does end with her trying to squash the depression out of him so felt like it was a bit of a mixed message.
Maybe I’m not used to the American children’s book market in comparison to the U.K., but was expecting so much more creativity than I got. It is not a bad book by any means, it’s actually really valuable , especially as I said, for children who might be going through the same thing. But with the tile, I think my expectations was a lot different, I was expecting a lot more creativity and I think I’m used to reading books along difficult topics for children that are a lot more show not tell to open up discussion channels rather than be straight forward with the meaning behind things. I think that’s just my expectation from what I have read before, but this book is definitely a great tool that is really vital to discuss and help children going through similar situations. I can see it being a great book on an ELSA’s shelf to help support children. It really informative and honest portrayal of the topic of depression.

This was the single best book I’ve read for children describing depression making it an okay topic. Making it an okay feeling. Honestly everything about this book was beautiful. This is one of the ways we normalize mental health conversations

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

As a parent who lives with depression this book did a good job helping to voice, in kid appropriate ways, what depression is and how I feel sometimes. I think it is an important book to have to help children better understand mental health and wellness.

This is a beautiful and simple book that explains the concept of depression to young children. The descriptions of what it feels like to suffer from depression are better than any I have ever been able to put into words. It is an excellent tool for kids who have a loved one with it. Highly recommended.

Depression-It fills me up with lots of sad thoughts. And the more depression fills me up the less I want to do. And the less I do the more depression fills me. Imagine if your pockets were filled with big rocks that are so heavy, you can't move. Being depressed kind of feels like that.

It is very sad that a book like this is needed for children. Many parents suffer from depression and if I am correct, I think more women admit to that than men. However, this book is about a father that suffers and his daughter notices the sad changes in him. An a easy to address (not necessarily understand why) some suffer from depression. What is does and what families can do to ease the pain of depression. It affects everyone so this book is needed and appreciated.

A special thank you to Magination Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

This book illustrates age-appropriate conversations for parents who struggle with depression and includes clear guidance in the back to elaborate on what is portrayed in the story. Mental illness is difficult for people to understand, especially children. This book, and the advice is gives, is a great tool to start the conversation.

I got this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This picture book tackles a really important and heavy topic, and I'm really glad that it exists! Discussing mental disorders/illnesses with children are always going to be hard, but it's so important to do it and not gloss over it! I felt like it did it in a good way, and the examples used were good! I also really like that there is a resource / how-to part in the back of the book in case you need more guidance!