Brandon and the Bipolar Bear: A Story for Children with Bipolar Disorder (Revised Edition)

Brandon and the Bipolar Bear is the winner of the About.com 2011 Reader's Choice Award for Favorite Special-Needs Children's Book. By reading the pages of this beloved book, children and adults alike receive a rare glimpse into the private feelings and fears of a bipolar child. Children with bipolar disorder frequently are able to identify with Brandon's moods as he cycles between depression and mania. When symptoms differ from those of the character, reading the book still opens dialogue about the illness. The book provides comfort as Brandon learns that he is not the only one who struggles with this inner turmoil. Children are educated along with the character as he learns what the illness is, how people get it and why there is hope for him to feel better. This story is appropriate for children between 4 and 11 years of age. However, it will also be indispensable to parents, health care workers, teachers, grandparents and anyone else who cares about a child with bipolar disorder. Brandon and the Bipolar Bear has increased understanding and awareness of this serious illness for the past decade and will continue to do so in the coming years.