The Illustrated Mum - Jacqueline Wilson

Like her mother, Marigold, Dolphin likes illustrations. She loves to draw and draw and draw, filling page after page of her colouring books with intricate designs taking every tiny inch of white space available. Every feeling, every wish, every daydream she has is contained within her drawings - they are full of flowers, fairies, stars, the seaside, rings, bangles and all things glittery. On bad days they are full of witches and wizards and demons and evil fates befalling her enemies. Sadly for Dolphin, a gentle, quiet, dreamy but shy and nervous child, there are many bad days. Dolphin and her family, her mother Marigold and her sister Star, are what you ...  Read the complete review

All around us there are kids trying to cope with family life in its various forms. Very few of us have the lives and families that society portrays as ‘the norm’, and I believe that Jacqueline Wilson, by giving young people a glance into the lives of other families, helps spread a greater degree of understanding amongst our future generation of adults. I try to read some of the books that my kids read and, quite often, I’m surprised at just how captivating they are for an older audience as well as for the age group for which they were intended. Jacqueline Wilson’s ‘The Illustrated Mum’ certainly captivated me! ...  Read the complete review

The Illustrated Mum deals with what life is like for children who have a parent who is bi polar or manic depressive. It's a bit close to home for me as my ex husband is manic depressive which is why he is my ex husband sadly. I bought this book in 2002 following a particularly bad episode of my ex husband's illness. I read it to my eldest son who was able to relate to the story and see how other children might feel about a parent the same as theirs, how they deal with their emotions and that it's ok to feel scared etc. For the empathetic way that Jacqueline Wilson writes this book, I cannot thank her enough. We passed this book around several of ...  Read the complete review

Well as far as I'm concerned, The Illustrated Mum is one of the best books ever by Jacqueline Wilson. Marigold is covered from head to foot with tattoos. Dolphin-her daughter- thinks that they are glorious and makes her the most beautiful mum in the world. The only down side to her is that she stays out partying all night, leaving Dolphin and Star at home in the small flat by themselves. Every day they fear about their mum and what's going to happen to her and weather they're going to have to go into a children's home or not. When I read it, I cried at one point because Marigold had covered herself in white paint, and had to go into hospital. ...  Read the complete review