Sad Days, Glad Days: A Story About Depression

By Dewitt Hamilton

Book Overview

Amanda Martha tries to understand her mother's depression, which sometimes makes her sleep all day, feel sad, or cry. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807572004
• ISBN13: 9780807572009
• Release Date: January 1995
• Publisher: Concept Books
• Length: 1 Pages
• Weight: 0.72 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 0.5" x 8.8"
• Age Range: 4 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Awesome book, my 8yr old daughter and I loved it!...

I have been looking everywhere for books to help me explain to my 8 yr old daughter about my clinical depression (I suffer from Bipolar disorder). This book was awesome, and was able to give my daughter and I points to begin discussion about my depression. I've recently become a single parent and have felt that it is even more important now than ever before to educate my daughter about this illness that is such a large part of my life. Through this book we've been able to discuss how this affects her and how we can work together to get through the difficult times caused by my illness.

This helped me help my child understand why mommy gets sad..

I was looking for a way to talk to my little girl about depression. This book was wonderful. It shows a little girl who has to deal with depression in her home. And it answered questions that I had no way of answering. It has helped my daughter understand that she is not the problem when things are not good at home. And that there are good and bad days. She is not to blame. And that was very important, as a parent with depression, to get across to my children. The only part that I didn't care for was about the cereal. I wish that there had been a different way to see what kind of morning it was. My kids have cold cereal most of the time, even on good days. That is the only reason that I rated it 4 instead of 5. It did make all the important points in a way that a child can understand.

A book I frequently use in my office

This story tells about the feelings of Amanda, an elementary school-aged girl as she experiences her mother's unpredictable episodes of recurrent depression. The mother also clearly experiences anguish when she sometimes cannot respond to her child's needs. Her mother and father both help Amanda understand that her mother loves her and that the mother's depressive episodes are not Amanda's fault. Amanda conceptualizes her mother's moods as colors. The illustrations sensitively follow this metaphor to catch the moods and experiences of the mother and the household. Amanda and her mother learn that despite recurrent depression, the mother can still find ways to give of herself to Amanda. Children often feel confused and upset when a parent is depressed. They may blame themselves or the depressed parent. I liked the fact that this book is encouraging without sugar-coating a very difficult situation. I often use this book as a springboard for further discussion.

An excellent book for explaining depression to children

I bought this and another children's book about depression to help explain depression to my kids. I thought this book did a much better job than the other one I bought. Amanda Martha's mother suffers from depression, and the daughters asks the usual questions: Is it my fault? Can I make you feel better? And the mother gives the right answers: It's not your fault. It's not your job to make you feel better.The mother's depression was protrayed very realistically, I thought. Some days she's very down and can't even get out of her bathrobe. Other days, she can get dressed, but she's not happy. Some days, she is happy. There are no quick fixes here. However, there is a sense of hope, that when the family pulls together, the necessary work will get done and love will be shared in abundance. This book should be available for all parents who have been diagnosed with depression and who have young children.

a great resource for parents and teachers

This book is a wonderful resource to share with children. Told simply, from the point of view of a child whose mother is severely depressed, this book is affirming for parents and children. As the child tells us, "some days are sad days, some are glad days and but most are in between days."Through a simple plot, Amanda shares her feelings about her mother's 'sad days' and 'glad days'. When Amanda first asks for a kitten she is told no, because her mother's sad days might make it difficult to care for the kitten. At the end, Amanda, knowing that most days are in between days, agrees to care for the kitten on her mother's sad days; and her mother can help her on her glad days.'The book is very uplifting and satisfying with an honest portrayal of living with depression.