Some mornings, Annie's mother's smiles are as bright as sunshine, but other days, her mother doesn't smile at all and gets very angry. Annie's grandma helps her remember that even when Mommy is angry on the outside, on the inside. In 2003, Bebe received a NAMI Media Award for this book. This book was reviewed in NAMI Connection. Visit www.nami.org/connection. This book was reviewed in NAMI Beginnings. Visit www.nami.org/beginnings.

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Product Description

Some mornings, Annie's mother's smiles are as bright as sunshine as she makes pancakes for breakfast and helps Annie get ready for school.

But other days, her mother doesn't smile at all and gets very angry. Those days Annie has to be a big girl and make her own breakfast, and even put herself to bed at night. But Annie's grandma helps her remember what to do when her mommy isn't well, and her silly friends are there to cheer her up. And no matter what, Annie knows that even when Mommy is angry on the outside, on the inside she never stops loving her.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #729133 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3-When Annie wakes up in the morning, her mother is making pancakes and cheerily asking, "Who wants hot, golden circles?" The woman proclaims the breakfast "yummalicious" and Annie's purple dress, "Beautastic." But when the little girl returns home from school, her mother greets her by shouting, "STOP ALL THAT SCREAMING-GET IN THIS HOUSE NOW!" An author's note explains that this is how life can be for a child living with a mentally ill parent. When Annie's mother gets upset, the girl knows that she should call her grandmother, who reassures her and reminds her that her mother loves her, even when she's yelling. The child has the option of going to a neighbor's house and waiting for her grandmother to come for her. In spite of these safety valves, she deals with the situation on her own-getting a snack, snuggling with her teddy bear, and going to bed. Annie realizes that she can't stop the dark clouds inside her mother, but that she can find sunshine in her own mind. Lewis makes excellent use of light and shadow in his watercolors, evoking both the sunny glow of a happy kitchen and the foreboding gloom of a dark porch with equal skill. The multicultural cast is depicted with realistic sensitivity. The author's goal is to offer children resilience by introducing coping strategies and helping them to understand that they are not to blame for their parents' difficulties. A skillful treatment of a troubling subject.
Anna DeWind Walls, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 2. True to a child's viewpoint, this moving picture book tells of an African American girl living with a mother who is mentally ill. The spare first-person narrative and exquisite realistic watercolor paintings show the child at home with her unpredictable parent, who is manic and cheerful in the morning, then angry, depressed, and paranoid when the child returns from school. Annie has fun with her friends and enjoys school, but her insecurity about her mother is always there. When Mommy yells, Annie calls Grandma, who assures her that it isn't her fault and helps her through the evening. A long introductory note to adults talks about bipolar disorder and the supportive role community can play. The story will prompt discussion among children because it's honest about how hard it is when a child must act as parent, and about how friends can help. The quiet, intimate last picture shows loving Mommy the next day as she braids Annie's hair. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Bebe Moore Campbell is the author of bestselling adult novels including Brothers and Sisters and What You Owe Me, and won a NAACP Image Award for literature for Your Blues Ain't Like Mine.

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Customer Reviews

EXCELLENT BOOK - HAS HELPED MY CHILD
I'm a person who has BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) and my house is chaotic -- screaming, shouting, but then there are times when I'm the good mom I want to be. My child and I read this book together just because we grabbed it from the library with a stack of other books. After reading the book, I very much recognized myself and my child in it and began to question her about it. I asked if the mommy in the book reminded her of anyone and she said it reminded her of me. I put the book in a stack of books to be returned to the library, but my daughter retrieved it and took it back to her room and re-reads it constantly, so I've decided to purchase it for her. She's 7 years old and says the books makes her feel better when I'm not in control of my anger. I would recommend this book to any parent who is suffering from Personality Disorder or any other mental illness that causes moodiness and displays of anger. Your children deserve this book as much as they deserve your going to therapy for treatment, which I myself am doing.

Touching and effective.
An encouraging book for young children who have a mother prone to angry outbursts. This book was created to be read by children whose mother's have some sort of emotional disability, dependence or life circumstance, which can affect their children. It is gently encouraging and could easily be incorporated into any classroom or crises center. It has a very touching ending.

Bipolar Disorder simplified for young children
I am the mother of an adult bipolar daughter and have read this book to my grandson who is seven years old. It's right on the money. Mental illness is difficult for most adults to truly understnd let alone a child. It's vital for children to understand that their mentally ill parent still loves them even though they do "strange" things. This book provided a path for my grandson to talk about his mother and for me to try (again and again) to help him understand her illness.