Annie and her mother share an upbeat morning, with pancakes for breakfast and an exuberant mood in the air. But as she walks to school, Annie hopes that her mommy will “still [be] smiling when I come home. Sometimes my mommy doesn’t smile at all.” Annie’s fears prove true, as an angry and yelling mother meets her after school. “Her morning smile has disappeared like the sun.” Annie handles her mother’s precarious mood swings with the support of her grandma, who reminds her that “your mother has problems, and she hasn’t gotten the help she needs. Sometimes it’s hard for grown-ups to ask for help. I hope that one day she will. But your mother loves you even when she’s yelling. It’s okay for you to be angry. I know you love her too.” This rare portrayal of a child living with a parent with symptoms of mental illness focuses on validating feelings and offering coping strategies. The picture book format features full-page watercolor illustrations of brown-skinned Annie and her mother. (Ages 5–10)

Some mornings, Annie's mother's smiles are as bright as sunshine as she makes pancakes for breakfast and helps Annie get ready for school.
But other days, her mother doesn't smile at all and gets very angry. Those days Annie has to be a big girl and make her own breakfast, and even put herself to bed at night. But Annie's grandma helps her remember what to do when her mommy isn't well, and her silly friends are there to cheer her up. And no matter what, Annie knows that even when Mommy is angry on the outside, on the inside she never stops loving her.