Mama Moon

by Noah Grigni

Deeply felt and beautifully told, Mama Moon is the story of a child who muses that their mother is like the moon—ever changing, sometimes blue, sometimes bright.

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 of a loved one's illness.

Genres: Picture Books, Mental Health, Family, LGBT, Childrens, Queer

48 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2025

Reviews

[Cathlina Bergman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picture book that takes a thoughtful look at mental health from the point of view of a child whose mother is bipolar. As the mother’s mood waxes and wanes like the moon, her daughter struggles with feeling abandoned. Strong diversity in the illustrations and excellent rhyming lines that weave between first-person narration and dialogue between characters.

[Meeghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Oh my goodness. Beautiful art. Beautiful, honest depiction of mental illness and how it impacts people who love people who have it. I could say so many things about this book, but really all I can say is it’s amazing.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little girl lives with her two mothers near the sea. Her mama is like the moon, waxing and waning at times, “sometimes she’s blue, sometimes she’s bright.” There are some days she can’t get out of bed and these times can make the little girl very angry. After yelling at her mama to “Go away!” her mama has to go to the hospital to get better. The confusion of mental illness as seen through the eyes of a child is very powerfully depicted in this picture book. The book shines with love, showing that despite mental health struggles, parents are vital to a child’s life. The illustrations depict a mixed-race family and have a simple style with deep colors showing emotions as storms and mental health as a pitching boat at sea.

Appropriate for ages 5-9.

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning, and an incredibly effective metaphor. I love that in the author's note, Grigni reminisces on using the moon as a tool to understand the cyclical nature of their mother's symptoms during childhood. I can imagine this would be a very helpful book for families with a parent or parents experiencing mental illness. Even beyond just the subject matter, this book was well executed. The illustrations are gorgeous and the rhyming text is steady and clear.

Prek+ storytime; social-emotional, phonological awareness

[Theresa T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 year old who is not a big picture book fan but they are interested in mental health and they really connected with this book. They actually applauded at the end. It is a really beautiful book that I think will help a lot of families. It doesn’t shy away from the big, scary feelings that come up around this topic, but at the same time it feels gentle and comforting. It’s honestly kind of masterful.

[Tegan (Slant Postscripts) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful concept, sweet images. And as a mama moon myself I so wanted to love it. But I don’t feel the depiction of mental illness was able to straddle the divide between the sometimes competing needs of mother and child. And ended up doing a disservice to both in the process 💔 Perhaps if it was just from either the mother or the child’s perspective it would have worked better? (I do recognise however that I do not have firsthand experience of bipolar specifically and this could play into it)

[Jame_EReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

👦🏻reviews: this book is a must read for anyone to understand the importance of unplanned mental illness from the loved ones. The storyline about comparing the little girl’s mom to the moon. The little girl’s lack of understanding of her mother’s illness and the true meaning of love gave this children’s book a beautiful and inspiring read. It is an awesome book!

[Cassidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tender, beautifully illustrated story that gently explores love, mental health, and the bond between a parent and child.

Growing up with a mother who struggled with mental illness, I wish I had this book as a child. It would’ve helped me better understand what she was going through, and made me realize that even in her toughest moments, her love never left.

[Shoshanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely INCREDIBLE picture book about a girl and her family. Her mom has bipolar disorder and sometimes just doesn't have any energy when she's depressed. The girl sees her mom like the moon, every changing in phases, knowing that the moon is always there as is her mom's love. Very very sweet and very very necessary!

[Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautiful, gentle book about living with a parent with mental health struggles, particularly bipolar disorder.

[Michele Maxwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching and Powerful

This book brings an understanding to mental illness and bipolar that I have found hard to communicate to my young children. This book helped me to feel seen and understood. It gave me ideas of how to talk to my children about my mental illness

[Lyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good. I felt like this was an important story to be told, and even though I don't know much about bipolar, this helped me to understand it a little better.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting use of space, but application of dynamic design is uneven. Decent but not great.

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a good book explaining mental health challenges to kids. Great resources at the back of the books, too.

[Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great resource to explain depression and bipolar disorder to children, especially if it is a parent that is suffering from symptoms.

[Y.Poston]

a lovely exploration of mental illness in a family setting

[Nate A · Rating 5 out of 5]

;-;

"Even when the moon goes dark, it's never really gone.
And when the moon is full, you know
it won't be full for long."

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Checked out from Kilbourn Public Library 📚 in Wisconsin