A child touchingly narrates the ups and downs of living with a parent who experiences mental illness.

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 small or has a hole in it."

On a better day, Mom introduces the child to a "new friend" named Grace, a therapist and a good listener. Grace explains that it's not the child's job to fix things. And Grace helps the child find coping strategies such as talking, playing games and, especially, drawing as a creative outlet for their complicated feelings.

Gradually, the child begins to feel better when they're at home with Mom, where there are plenty of crayons, as well as the comfort of a beloved pet to cuddle.

But the child has one big question. At the end of the story, they ask their mom, and then Grace, if they will sink or soar when they grow up. And while no one knows for sure, the child believes Grace who suggests that they now have the tools to weather whatever storms might come.

Key Text Features

authors note

dialogue

illustrations

resources

vignettes

Correlates to the Common Core States Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.2

Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson.