The Colour Thief

When someone in the family suffers from a mental illness, it can be hard to explain to young children. Depression affects not only individuals but their families too.

This beautifully illustrated picture book depicts one boy's experience of his father's depression likening it to a world drained of colour and joy. The story acknowledges the feelings of helplessness that children might experience, helps them to understand that they are in no way to blame for a parent's illness and, perhaps most importantly, offers the reassurance that one day the colour will return to the world.

Drawing on personal experiences of living in a family blighted by depression, this unusual, yet important, book may help youngsters to make sense of an illness they cannot see.