I Am a Mosaic (A Picture Book About Speaking Up When Things Are Hard at Home)

Ashley has two worlds. At school, she is sunshine. At home, she is learning to hold something heavy all by herself.

Some days her mom fills the kitchen with hugs and humming. Other days, the house goes quiet in a way Ashley can't fix. She loves her mom. She just doesn't know what to do with all the questions she carries.

When her teacher notices something is wrong, Ashley faces the bravest choice of her life: to keep pretending or to trust someone with the truth.

I Am a Mosaic is a tender, honest picture book for children navigating life when a parent is struggling with their mental health. It follows Ashley as she finds the courage to speak up, showing young readers exactly what it looks like to ask for help and receive it.

Written from lived experience, this story offers children the language and the permission to say: sometimes it's hard at home. For fans of The Rabbit Listened, Virginia Wolf, and When Sadness Is at Your Door, this is an ideal read-aloud for classrooms, school counseling offices, and families looking for an age-appropriate way to talk about parental mental illness, emotional safety, and the trusted adults in a child's life.