Description

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A sensitive and supportive story to help young children recognize and cope with sadness.

“Now when I get sad, I still cry sometimes. I still hide sometimes. But only for a little while. Because now I know ways to feel better.” Sadness can be an overwhelming emotion, especially for young children. But it’s important to know when sadness can be overcome, and when it’s indicative of a greater problem. 

Sometimes When I’m Sad is an invaluable self-help resource that helps children identify sadness or depression and offers helpful ways to manage it, such as:

• Talk about it with a parent or a trusted adult or counselor
• Draw the sadness with crayons
• Release tension by squishing clay
• Run and jump around outside
• Observe nature

The word depression is never used in the gentle, child-focused text, but this simple story offers an entrance point for both adults and children to identify and address childhood depression symptoms early. 

This timely resource is a wonderfully gentle way to take steps toward banishing the stigma around mental illness. A special section at the back of the book provides support for adults, from an explanation of the difference between sadness and depression to helpful tools to manage the illness. Especially useful for counselors, social workers, teachers, parents, and any other adults caring for children who struggle with dark feelings.

Sometimes When Collection
With quiet, sensitive illustrations, the Sometimes When collection helps young children work through big feelings, such as sadness and anger. The stories are accessible to children and grounded in research from an author with over thirty years of experience as a clinical psychologist. A special section at the back of each book provides more information and activities to help young children work through their feelings.
 

About the Author

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Deborah Serani, Psy.D., is an award-winning author of the Sometimes When collection and numerous titles for adults, and has been a psychologist in practice for thirty years. She is also a professor at Adelphi University, and her writing on the subjects of depression and trauma has been published in academic journals. Dr. Serani is a go-to expert for psychological issues. Her interviews can be found in Newsday, Psychology Today, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Associated Press, and affiliate radio programs at CBS and NPR, among others. She is also a TEDx speaker and has worked as a technical advisor for the NBC television show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She lives on Long Island, New York.

Praise For…

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"What a delightful book! Identifying how you feel is the first positive pillar parents can teach their children, empowering them whilst giving the tender nurturing they need to feel mentally and emotionally well again."
— Jo Frost, global parenting expert and family consultant, executive producer of the award-winning international television show Supernanny

"This unique children’s book is one of the first I have seen to provide an accurate and understandable description of how clinical-level sadness might be experienced by a young child. It also describes useful age-appropriate emotion management strategies that can be implemented at home. The book will be a valuable resource for parents and children as they seek to better understand how to help children experience and manage intense sadness"
— Joan Luby, M.D., professor of psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

"Highly recommended."

“Deborah Serani’s clear-cut, holistic picture book Sometimes When I’m Sad introduces childhood depression and coping strategies with helpful tips for caregivers.”
 
— Foreword Reviews