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Gentle Picturebooks about Parental Mental Health
24
items An extensive list of children's picturebooks that discuss depression and mental health in an age-appropriate way. A great way to gently educate young ones on the hardships that mothers and fathers could be going through. Descriptions/synopsis of each...
Sections
2
3+ Years Old
5+ Years Old (More Mature)
3+ Years Old
Gentle and easy on the storytelling. Something for soft understanding of the topic.
The debut Children’s book, from best-selling novelist, Debbie Rae. It can be hard to broach the subject of Depression with a young child. This beautifully illustrated, rhyming book gently introduces some key descriptions, words and talking points abo...
The Ouch Inside: What happens when Mummy has Depression
Not Today, Celeste!: A Dog's Tale about Her Human's Depression
Mama is the most wonderful person in the world, but when a dark cloud drifts in and settles over her, her inner magic seems to vanish. There must be something that can make the cloud disappear...but what?
Mama's Cloud
Big and Small are machines that work together as a team. But some days Big goes a bit wobbly, and I get a lot worried. Big malfunctions in a variety of ways and Small tries to help with the assistance of The Boss and Mechanic. The story is a metaphor...
Big and Me
Readers learn, through the perspective of a young girl, how she manages on days her mother cannot get out of bed. Her independence has come from necessity: She can make her own lunch with whatever is left, she can anticipate what dinner will be, she ...
Tough Like Mum
Perry is worried about his mum. He speaks with his grandma, who explains how his mum is feeling and offers reassurance. She makes it clear that Perry is not to blame and talks about some of the things that might help his mum feel better. Perry Panda ...
Perry Panda: A Story about Parental Depression
Mamuś and her son love KITE DAYS. But conditions have to be right. Sometimes the sun is shining, and the breeze is BLOWING perfectly but getting outside feels impossible. Sometimes, they feel as strong and graceful as their kite, but their string get...
Kite Day: The Ups and Downs of Mental Health
Sometimes Mom soars like a kite. Other times the kite turns into a sail, and she’s like a boat, bobbing along the waves, until water spills over the sides and she starts to sink. “I try to bail the water out,” the child says, “but my bucket is too sm...
My Mom Is Like a Kite
Ellie's mom did not come for their visit, and Ellie is stuck in a cloud of sadness and anger as she tries to understand why. Fortunately, Miss K. and Ellie's Uncle Finny are there to help her. Using the metaphor of a wave, they help Ellie talk about ...
Mama's Waves
5+ Years Old (More Mature)
For bigger brains with a bigger understanding.
Lizzie lives with her parents, grandmother and her dog Venus. She has a special relationship with her father; he helps get her ready in the mornings and drives her to school and they play games along the way. One day, Lizzie's Dad doesn't get out of ...
Why Does Daddy's Brain Hurt?: How a Child Experiences Parental Depression
A young boy has endless fun as he plays with his imaginary friend, Leon. Leon is a unique dog which always loves to play games. The boy’s mother also has an imaginary friend, Marvin, but her imaginary friend is not fun at all. When Marvin is around, ...
Mommy's Imaginary Friend: Talking to Young Children About Depression
Being a mother and suffering from depression can put a lot of pressure on a young child, especially if they don't understand that your depression has nothing to do with them. In this book the focus is on a mother's relationship with her child to help...
Sometimes She Feels Sad: How to help your child understand depression of a parent
Why Is Mommy Crying?: A Children's Book to Help Understand Depression
"What if Mummy's mind played a trick on her and swapped her coloured crayons for grey ones? And no matter how hard she tried, she could only see things that were dull and dreary." One day Thomas notices that his mummy is not quite herself. He learns ...
Thomas's Drawings: A Story About a Mother’s Depression and Love That Lasts Forever: A Beautiful Children's Picture Book That Explains Clinical Sadness to Kids (Hopeful Hearts)
"Arthur's gloomy father rushes him through the park every morning, through gray and rainy weather. Arthur just wants a bright balloon from the park's vendor, but Papa always says no. One morning, the balloons magically appear at their doorstep, and A...
Balloons for Papa: A Story of Hope and Empathy
When Mummy wears her happy pants we build sandcastles, go out for babycinos and have lots and lots of cuddles. But when she comes home with baby Darcy, her happy pants stay in her wardrobe...
Happy Pants
Young Alex’s father had been a policeman until he began to suffer from depression, perhaps the most common mental health issue we face. Alex’s questions are those that are often asked by the children of parents who have depression: is the parent simp...
Can I Catch It Like a Cold?: Coping With a Parent's Depression
Mama loves warm summers, and eating cherries while stargazing with Baba and Kiddo. But on her bluest of days, she can’t do the things that other mamas do. Persevering with love, no matter what phase Mama is in, this family weathers the ups and downs ...
Mama Moon: A Story About Love and Mental Health
Through the eyes of a child, we are taken on a journey, as she watches her mother disappear through depression and tries to understand her mothers’ transformation from what she once was, to where she is now, and how to help get her back and find her ...
My Giant Sea Shell
As one father embarks on an emotional journey, his daughter will navigate life lived in and around his depression. Most days the sun won’t be able to peek through the clouds. But with each new wave of change, love will always bond them together. This...
In the Blue
The Colour Thief is a simple, heart-warming tale which helps to open up the conversations around depression and to support young children whose families have been affected. We follow a young boy who loves spending time with his dad, doing fun things ...
The Colour Thief: A family's story of depression
As a young girl gently questions her depressed father, he offers direct answers that help her understand what he is going through and promotes the hope that he will become his old self again. This gentle, hopeful book is developmentally appropriate―e...
Pockets Full of Rocks
Some days Mama is bright like the yellow part of a rainbow. Other days, Mama is flat like the scratched surface of our kitchen table. So I tell Mama a story . . . A girl tells about a misunderstood dragon as a way to understand her mother's unpredict...
Mama's Days
Defines depression and its treatments, provides self-help options for those coping with a depressed parent, and includes a note to parents and spaces for writing questions or drawings to help express emotions and concerns.
Why Are You So Sad?: A Child's Book About Parental Depression