Powerfully illustrated, A Thought Is Just a Thought is the compelling and sympathetic story of Jenny, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It describes Jenny’s visits with her mother to a doctor. He notices that Jenny is afraid to stop tapping the wall with her fingers for fear that her sister won’t come home, and that she is afraid to walk on the white squares of the kitchen’s black and white, tiled floor.

The kind Dr. Mike helps Jenny overcome her fears by showing her how to rethink the bad thoughts, and eventually she stops dwelling on the thought and its irrational consequences, realizing that, after all, a thought is just a thought.

A Thought Is Just a Thought is the first book for children and parents that confronts OCD, a surprisingly common childhood illness. It is an excellent resource for parents and for doctors who wish better understand how to help children deal with this debilitating psychological illness.

by Leslie Talley