Kite Day
The Ups and Downs of Mental Health
Lisa Varchol Perron author Siski Kalla illustrator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Watkins Media Limited
Publishing:21st Apr '26
£12.99
This title is due to be published on 21st April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Mamuś and her son love Kite Days. But conditions have to be right. Sometimes the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, and the day is calling… But it's still not a Kite Day. Sometimes the clouds roll in, and the wind is too strong… And they still try for a Kite Day. But when their string gets tangled and the light gets dim, they must stay inside and wait for their next chance at a Kite Day. Navigating worry, anger, sadness and disappointment, Mamuś and her son fly their kite together. While her mood mirrors the kite’s motions – gently rising, twisting in the wind, tangling in a tree, and crashing to the ground – the pair continue to try. Despite the ups and downs, their love is, and will always remain, constant. “Is today a kite day?” I ask Mamuś. Her smile is a blossom unfolding. “Let’s go and see,” she says. An honest yet hopeful glimpse into a child’s experience with a parent who has bipolar illness or other mood-related struggles, including concrete suggestions for young readers who are concerned about a loved one, this is a key social and emotional learning (SEL) book for young readers and loved ones navigating a mental health illness.
"There are so few books that explore parental mental health struggles from a child's perspective. Kite Day fills an important space to help children feel less alone and to subtly help them understand mental health through a natural and compelling story."
– Deanna Allen (MSW, LICSW), licensed professional counsellor, experienced therapist, educator and mental health advocate
"A carefully crafted, beautifully written story that's both effective and uplifting."
– Diana Murray, author of the bestselling Unicorn Day series
“Approachable watercolor and pencil illustrations reflect the bright and dark days of having a relative with a mood disorder in this enlightening story of a boy and his confusingly changeable mother.”
– Brian Lies, Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator of The Rough Patchand the New York Times bestselling Bat series
"Told with sensitivity and compassion, this beautiful story offers comfort and support to any child with a loved one struggling with a mood disorder."
– Rebecca Gardyn Levington, author of Whatever Comes Tomorrow, Finding Forgiveness and Some Days I'm The Wind
"Lisa Varchol Perron has written a deeply empathetic and ultimately hopeful story about navigating a parent's mood disorder. Gorgeous, lyrical, and important!"
– Suzy Levinson, author of Dinos that DriveandAnimals in Pants
"Siski's artwork took me from soaring joy, like the kite, to a nose dive of sorrow, and then a bounce back with hope."
– Ruth McNally Barshaw, award-winning author and illustrator of the Ellie McDoodle series
"An honest yet hopeful glimpse into a child’s experience with a parent who has bipolar illness or other mood-related struggles, including concrete suggestions for young readers who are concerned about a loved one."
– Publishers Weekly
“This is a beautifully written, gentle story about living with a loved one who has a mood disorder, and the illustrations are the perfect complement to the words. Kite Day will help others feel less alone, and the back matter provides helpful guidance for anyone in a similar situation.”
– Jennifer Chambliss Bertman,New York Times bestselling author of the Book Scavenger series, Sisterhood of Sleuths, and A Good Deed Can Grow
ISBN: 9781917194112
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
32 pages
New edition