'Mommy Is a Rainbow' Explains Bipolar Disorder in Color
Washington – – October 12, 2026 -- A new picture book, "Mommy Is a Rainbow," gives families a way to talk about bipolar disorder by turning a mother's changing moods into the colors of a rainbow.
A child's view of a mother's shifting moods
Author Arlette E. Jackson tells the story from a daughter's perspective. To explain her mood changes, the mother describes herself as a rainbow, with emotions such as joy and sorrow represented as colors. In the book, Jackson writes that the daughter learns her mother is "a wonderfully different artist."
The story centers on a mother and child, but its color approach is meant to work for talking about changing emotions and mental health in other relationships too.