Ellen Flanagan

I picked this up at the library on a whim and was really impressed with the overall outcome of this book.

Ellen Flanagan Burns had OCD, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as a child now works as a therapist, working with young children to address anxiety and OCD.

I picked up this book because I’m a primary teacher and it is super important for me to be able to recommend books to my kids that reflect their experience. It is equally important to discuss things like OCD with kids in a safe space, where they’re allowed to ask questions and not fear repercussions of any kind. I feel like kids, for the most part, cope better in different and more challenging situations when they’ve seen something or experienced it in some way before. This book works really well as an anchor and something that a parent or child can refer back to if they come across OCD in the real world.

One thing that I really liked about this book was that the main character was a little black girl with natural hair. Now, Ellen Flanagan Burns is none of those things but it’s great to see that the creative team behind this book chose to be more inclusive, simply by illustrating the main character as person of colour. They didn’t have to, but they did and I think that says a lot.

The book begins with the author writing a letter to the reader, telling them what OCD is, how it feels and that she had OCD too. This personal letter was a really lovely touch and worked well as a primer for the rest of the novel. Each chapter begins with the main character writing a diary entry, saying that she’s weird, that she wished she didn’t have to count, that she feels so alone, that she can’t tell anyone why she gets so worried all the time. Then, the chapter is played out.

Eventually, the little girl in the book seeks help and is able to better manage her OCD symptoms and compulsions. The story itself felt a little repetitive but I think that has to do with the target audience.

At the back of the book there is more information about OCD, what each individual letter means and how the disorder affects people’s daily lives. This works well because it provides the parent or child with more information about the disorder and may answer any questions the reader might have.

Ten Turtles on Tuesday is a short, accessible primer that is written in a child-friendly way. I would recommend it to any reader.… (mehr)