New Picture Book Shares Bipolar Disorder Through A Mother's Story

Author uses colors to introduce readers of all ages to the changing moods of bipolar disorder while highlighting love, acceptance, and individuality

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A mother living with bipolar disorder may experience many changes in mood, but the love for her child remains constant. A new book offers readers an assessable introduction to bipolar disorder using the colors of a rainbow to represent different emotional states.

In "Mommy Is a Rainbow," mental health advocate Arlette E. Jackson presents the experience of a mother living with bipolar disorder through a child's perspective. To explain changes in mood to her daughter, the mother describes herself as a rainbow, turning emotions such as joy and sorrow into colors. The story uses this visual approach to help readers understand emotional experiences and their role in relationships. While the story centers on a mother and child, its use of color offers a way to discuss changing emotions and mental health in a variety of relationships.

"As Mommy paints the world in living color, her daughter learns that Mommy is a wonderfully different artist.," Jackson writes. 

The book features an informational section explaining bipolar disorder and its symptoms, including manic, depressive and mixed episodes, as well as the three basic types of bipolar disorder. It also provides a list of mental health organizations and helplines. The additional material provides information that can be used to support conversations about bipolar disorder, mental health and changing emotions.

As a certified chaplain who worked in psychiatric units at Bellevue Hospital, Jackson has hands-on experience helping people through real-world mental health challenges. Her master's degree in Psychiatry and Religion gives her a strong background to explain complex conditions like bipolar disorder in a gentle, easy-to-understand way, and as the founder of a mental health nonprofit, she also knows firsthand how to help families talk openly about big emotions.

"Mommy Is a Rainbow"
By Arlette E. Jackson 
ISBN: 9798385070138 (hardcover); 9798385069521 (electronic)
Available at WestBow Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Bookshop.org.

About the author
Rev. Arlette E. Jackson is an ordained minister, certified chaplain and founder of Wondrous Pillars of Light Inc., a nonprofit focused on mental health education and outreach. She holds a master's degree in Psychiatry and Religion from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and completed clinical pastoral training at Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Langone Health. Drawing on her theological and clinical background and her own experience living with mental difference, Jackson advocates for those living with mental difference and helps individuals, families and communities discuss mental health with insight and empathy. Learn more at mommyisarainbow.com. 

General Inquiries: 
LAVIDGE – Phoenix 
Kirsten Kalebich
480.306.7271
[email protected]

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SOURCE WestBow Press