Kite Day
The Ups and Downs of Mental Health
Published on 21. April 2026
Book
Hardback
32 pages
978-1-917194-11-2 (ISBN)
Description
Mamus 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, Mamus 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 Mamus.
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.
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, Mamus 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 Mamus.
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.
Reviews / Votes
"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 Patch and 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 Drive and Animals 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
More details
Edition
New edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Watkins Media Limited
Target group
Children/juvenile
Reading Age: From 3 to 6 years
Edition type
New edition
Dimensions
Height: 212 mm
Width: 261 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
386 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-917194-11-2 (9781917194112)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
Watkins Media
€7.49
Available for download
Persons
Lisa Varchol Perron is a psychotherapist, which helps inform her writing about the resiliency of the human spirit. Lisa has been published in Highlights Hello, The Caterpillar, and The School Magazine. Lisa's debut picture book, PATTERNS EVERYWHERE, and her debut board book, MY LOVE FOR YOU, were published in 2023. Siski Kalla was born into a storytelling family with Finnish, German and English roots, and she has always loved creating quirky characters and stories, bringing them to life via watercolour and pencil. Siski has illustrated more than 15 children's books, including the I Love You This Much! series from Wonderbly, Gertie is Not All Dogs and Let's Explore Snails! which won the Spark Award from the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators (SCBWI).