Overview
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.
A little girl learns coping skills with the help of her grandmother, neighbors and school friends, when her mother's mental illness disrupts her daily routine.
Synopsis
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.
Publishers Weekly
In a prefatory note, Campbell (Your Blues Ain't Like Mine) explains that she wrote this book "to address the fears and concerns of children who have a parent who suffers from mental illness." As her insightful, moving tale opens, narrator Annie eats pancakes with her buoyant mother. At school, the African-American girl draws a picture of this breakfast scene: "This is my mommy and me.... We have pancakes inside us and sunshine all around us." That sunlight disappears in an instant when she returns home to a much-altered mother who shouts at her. In a touching scene-made all the more so by Lewis's (The Other Side) accompanying picture of Annie crouched in a corner, behind a closed door-Annie phones her grandmother and tearfully reports on her mother's mood. Her grandmother reassures her that she did nothing wrong, that her mother "hasn't gotten the help she needs." Together Grandma and Annie review clearly well-worn plans for coping with the difficult evening (and morning) ahead. Throughout, Lewis's lifelike artwork underscores the story's intense, real emotions as the paintings creatively manipulate light and shadow as well as juggle interior and exterior views. This book amply fulfills Campbell's stated mission and, while it is likely to spark questions from a more general audience, it is equally likely to invite their compassion. Ages 5-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
In a prefatory note, Campbell (Your Blues Ain't Like Mine) explains that she wrote this book "to address the fears and concerns of children who have a parent who suffers from mental illness." As her insightful, moving tale opens, narrator Annie eats pancakes with her buoyant mother. At school, the African-American girl draws a picture of this breakfast scene: "This is my mommy and me.... We have pancakes inside us and sunshine all around us." That sunlight disappears in an instant when she returns home to a much-altered mother who shouts at her. In a touching scene-made all the more so by Lewis's (The Other Side) accompanying picture of Annie crouched in a corner, behind a closed door-Annie phones her grandmother and tearfully reports on her mother's mood. Her grandmother reassures her that she did nothing wrong, that her mother "hasn't gotten the help she needs." Together Grandma and Annie review clearly well-worn plans for coping with the difficult evening (and morning) ahead. Throughout, Lewis's lifelike artwork underscores the story's intense, real emotions as the paintings creatively manipulate light and shadow as well as juggle interior and exterior views. This book amply fulfills Campbell's stated mission and, while it is likely to spark questions from a more general audience, it is equally likely to invite their compassion. Ages 5-up. (Oct.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.Children's Literature
Annie is a little girl whose mother suffers from a mental illness. Sometimes she's giddy with happiness; sometimes she's consumed with anger. At those times, she lashes out at everyone around her and leaves Annie to fend for herself. When her mother is angry, Annie calls her grandmother, who helps Annie remember where to find her "secret snack," how to get herself ready for bed and ready for school the next morning, and what to do if she gets scared. One must applaud Moore Campbell and G. P. Putnam's Sons for tackling this issue and for treating it in a positive, compassionate way. But there are a few areas in which the book could be much stronger. For example, the mother's illness is not named. Instead, the reader—and Annie—hear only that she has "problems." If this were a book about a parent with cancer or diabetes, would the author shy away from naming those diseases? Why should mental illness be treated differently? Why can't we be told that Annie's mother has "bipolar disorder," or whatever it may be that she has? Labeling this illness as "problems" negates the fact that it is a "real" illness and implies that Annie's mother could get over it if she'd just try a little harder. Also, this is a book that demands discussion. Yet many of the family members, counselors, and educators who will share this book with children may have little experience or knowledge of this subject. Suggestions for a guided dialogue after the story would have been quite helpful. Yet for all that, this book is a welcome introduction to this difficult subject. 2003, G P Putnam's Sons, Ages 6 to 9.— Barbara Carroll Roberts