Thanks to Netgalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for the ARC of this!

As someone with mental health struggles, I am always looking to include more diversity in the mental health representation that my kids see. This was an interesting, simplified look at bipolar disorder. My 7 year old would have liked some more information at some points (like when she says she sees and hears things that aren’t there, he wondered “like what?” it was hard without experience for him to imagine what that might be like, or why that is an issue!) but overall I think it was a good introduction.

First of all, congratulations on tackling this very important topic! I think with some work this book could be worthy of many shelves to help little ones navigate mental health issues. A few things: The PDF was not formatted properly, meaning some words were scrambled or bunched up together which made several pages hard to read (2,3,4,9,17,24,) on an iphone Kindle app. I think more parts of the story could be drawn out, I think a story editor could make a huge difference. (this is just a private review, I won't post this on Goodreads.

I think this is fine way to give a basic understanding of bipolar but as someone with bipolar it felt very like it wasn't giving enough not everyone with bipolar experiences it this way. So I like the idea and the basis.

This nonfiction picture book does a fantastic job of explaining what it is like to be bipolar.

When you are bipolar everyday can be a roller coaster of feelings. Many people have mood swings, but for someone who is bipolar, those moods can change several times a day, sometimes within the hour.

Most people who know anything about bipolar disease think about the classic symptoms of the disease, deep depression that can last for months at a time and phases of mania. But rapid cycling bipolar can be completely different, with mood swings that can change suddenly. Author Jodie Smith suffers from bipolar and created this book to help her daughter understand. The book is written in easy-to-understand language with colorful crayon drawings of geometric shapes that represent the different moods. These illustrations will keep children’s interest as well as help explain the words.

The suggested reading age for this book is 5-8 years old, but with the cute drawings it can be read aloud to younger children. I recommend this book to any child who is diagnosed with bipolar or has someone close to them that has the condition. It could also be used by therapists, social workers or teachers who wish to do a mental health awareness lesson.

I received this book from Sweet Cherry Publishing through Netgalley. But as a person who is close to someone with this condition, I can sincerely recommend this book.

This little book is a great way to broach not just emotions, but emotional rollercoasters, with kids. It's especially good that one of the emotions included is "neutral" - a concept not often explored with little ones. (Honestly, I'm not even sure adults get the neutral thing.) Simple drawings, simple words, and an introduction to things like therapy and medication: Bipolar Blob is a worthy addition to any little one's bookshelf.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Sweet Cherry Publishing for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review**

Jodi has bipolar disorder, and oftentimes her emotions get jumbled up. Sometimes one emotion takes over another for a while. She talks about how this can be quite overwhelming, but she has to learn how to juggle them. She knows she is strong and she can do it.

A great SEL tool for young readers.

I am enjoying the shift in publishing that is allowing books like this to come through to help young readers understand a bit more about how their emotions can waver from one moment to the next.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This picture book introduces children to the concept of bipolar disorder, using scribbled illustrations and punchy language to describe different mental states. The point-of-view character explains how she feels at different times, and how she works to manage and process her intense inner life.

The illustrations are really cute and kid-friendly, and I appreciate this effort at exploring an underrepresented mental health struggle. However, I think that this book is best used in therapy contexts when a child or their family member has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. As a book for general audiences, this can create unnecessary confusion. The author doesn't always fully define the terminology that she uses, and I don't think she sufficiently differentiates bipolar disorder from general human experiences with strong emotions, mood swings, and the sense of feeling multiple emotions at once.

I’m not sure if it was the kindle version being misaligned or what but this was difficult to read. The words didn’t always match or line up.

What I could read seemed more confusing that explanatory for kids, but I recognize this is a complex topic.

A lovely book. Great to give kids special language and break down bipolar in a simple effective way.

Perfect simple story about feeling and what it is like to have bipolar ness for Children. Read to my five year old and she said she felt these feelings sometimes too

This is really cute and simple way of explaining what is a complex and harrowing illness. The illustrations go perfectly with the text.

The picture book describes how one day in a bipolar person's life can involve a roller coaster ride of emotions - sometimes even within an hour!

The various emotions are named and described, their consequences identified, and reading about it makes you realise just how exhausting it must be to be constantly struggling with trying to maintain a neutral, content, or happy state when mania can make an appearance without much warning, and with major consequences like paranoia.

Hopefully this book will make it easier for people to relate to the struggles of a bipolar person, and to show more compassion and understanding as required. Great job.

Bipolar Blob is a really great book for kids to understand how being bipolar can feel. It also would make a good gift for someone newly diagnosed, to know it's ok to feel how they are feeling. I liked the very "crayon" child-like drawings, it made tough topics more light.