Reviews of Can I Catch It like a Cold? A story to help children understand a parent's depression

First appeared in:

Flushed, the e-zine published by Sheena's Place, a support centre in Toronto for people with eating disorders and body image concerns.
Fall 2005, Issue 9
By Kate Lum

"Can I Catch it Like A Cold" is an excellent resource for children ages 5-9 who have a depressed parent. In Kelbaugh's satisfying narrative, a twelve-year-old girl, Anna, tells a younger boy, Alex, about this disease, which afflicts each of their parents. With help from Anna, and eventually from professionals, Alex is empowered to deal with his own feelings.

In clear, simple language, Kelbaugh describes depression and its effects: "Depression changes the way he thinks about himself." There is optimism: "When he gets better, he won't think that everything is bad... " but also, realism: "She would get better and then get sick again."

Most importantly, the text emphasizes that the child is not to blame for the parent's illness: "The most important thing I learned was that it was not my fault."

Nault's warm illustrations tenderly depict Alex and Anna's growing friendship, their parents' pain, and their personal triumphs on the soccer field. Anna is African- American, Alex, Caucasian, and his school counselor, Asian, underscoring the reality that depression affects people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, and that people of all backgrounds can form an effective team against it.

"Can I Catch It Like a Cold" is the first in a series of books for young readers published by CAMH (Centre for Addictions and Mental Health) in Toronto.

Read the review on the Flushed website.

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