Customer Reviews

Matt the Moody Hermit Crab

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved the book, more important, my son who is Bipolar loved the book. He was very interested in what people's responses to Matt were. The best part about this book is that those responses are realistic. People get frustrated and irritated when stressed out.
My son loved the fact that Matt's Mom was so loving and understanding and the rest of his family wasn't. It was a good reflection of his own situation. Another good thing about this book is that it allows the Bipolar child to see their own over-reactions to situations, without getting angry themselves. I love this book, It's going to help alot of children.

Caroline McGee has filled a much needed void with her book, "Matt the Moody Hermit Crab". It opens a line of dialogue for children suffering from bipolar disorder, trying to come to grips with, and gain an understanding of what is happening to them. Matt's journey portrays so many of the different emotions, moods and experiences that a bipolar child may go through. Reading this book with your child allows your child to see that he/she is not alone, and to feel comfortable talking about his/her struggles. It also allows you, the parent, to provide words of encouragement and support, it sets the stage for conversations that might not easily happen otherwise.

Equally importantly, Matt's family depicts very accurately the impact that a bipolar family member has on siblings, parents, friends and peers. My own children benefited from seeing that the anger, hurt, fears and frustrations they felt were normal and something that other kids went through when living with a bipolar sibling.

Congratulations to Caroline McGee on a wonderful book!

Caroline McGee did an absolutely wonderful job capturing the true life essence of a child with this illness, and in doing so, she made it so easy for children to understand what they themselves are going through. My son has been completely intrigued with this book and it has moved me more then I could ever explain. To see what we live with daily, written so simply in black and white for the whole world to finally see and understand is a wonderful support. Great job Caroline and thank you so much for all that you have gone through to write this book.

I have adoped two children with mental health problems and am always looking for ways to help the children and their frinds understand Bipolar.
Matt the Moody Hermit Crab, tells this story in a way that children (and adults) can understand how the world seems from the family and ill child feels living with this illness 24/7.
I would recommend this book to anyone that knows someone with bipolar and wants to better understand the illness.
My 12 and 7 years old really enjoyed the book and were better able to understand their illnes.
We plan on buying a copy of this book for the school library.
The author is a mother of a child who has to live with this illnes 24/7 and was able to tell this story in a way that only a person living with this illnes could. I am glad to be able to know this author if only through the internet and her wisdom on the support group we belong too.
The cover attracts attention and the drawing inside are wonderful.

For children with bipolar disorder and the adults who care for them, this book is very validating. It is not easy reading; some realities are very painful. Hope and compassion shine through, however.

Childhood-onset Bipolar Disorder is a complex issue. Parents and professionals have trouble understanding and dealing with it. So, how do you explain it to a child?

Matt, a young hermit crab, lives with his parents, brother and sister. His rapid, extreme mood swings annoy, puzzle and frighten his family. As his emotional shifts worsen, he has trouble staying in class and is aggressive toward his friends. Matt shows many of the difficult behaviors seen in such children. He goes through periods of physical aggression, paranoid thoughts, and suicidal feelings. Some manic individuals may make inappropriate sexual advances. The book touches on this briefly without being too explicit.

I liked how the book dealt with the social consequences of mood swings. As Matt's symptoms grow worse, even the people who care about him get frustrated and react. Matt's first experience with therapy is in a hospital setting, and the book does not say much about outpatient treatment or psychotherapy. At the end of the book, we see Matt gain a better understanding of his illness. He is able to take an active role in explaining his Bipolar Disorder to his class.

This book has some limitations, but many the limitations are due to the complexity of the subject matter. The illustrations and the use of hermit crabs and other beach animals might appeal to younger elementary aged children, but the hundred plus pages of text may prove daunting for some of the younger readers. It would be difficult to cover this material in a short book. Parents may want to read the book with their children and break it up into smaller chunks. I may wish that the author had talked more about individual and family therapy, but you can't fit everything into a book aimed at children.

There is a companion guidebook (purchased separately.) It helps parents and professionals use the book to lead a discussion with children.

Dr. McGee provides an excellent "chapter book" for young readers to learn more about this disorder that we call "Bipolar or Manic/Depression". Through Matt, we take the edge off of pointing to ourselves, while introducing some of the many occurrences that go on with a young one as they begin to exhibit the symptoms of the disorder and how it affects them personally, their family, friends, education, etc. She is careful to provide some insight into the situation, without becoming overly descriptive and indepth -- which would then become more of an adult read than a children's book. Things do come out well in the end, which is meant as a ray of hope, as this is truly possible. Although life will always be a matter of ups and downs for those suffering with BP -- my son and I truly found this book enjoyable -- he is very much like Matt and for now is stable and happy. A recommended read for teachers and librarians (to their classes), grandparents, friends and family as they struggle to understand what has happened to their friend and/or loved one and how through this knowledge they can provide the much needed support in times of crisis.

Caroline did such a wonderful job telling the story about Bipolar children in this book. It will give any mom or caregiver or loved one of a child with Bipolar a fresh new outlook on Bipolar. My son is Bipolar and I read the book to him he is 9 and he cannot read yet. He loved the book.
I would definately say you should buy this book if you have a loved one with Bipolar.

Thank you, Caroline, for opening my eyes...and my heart...to what has been/is going on with my 11 year old grandson. I thought I understood the struggle within my daughter's family, but your simply told story clarified so much.

I wish I had known all this years ago.

Can we invite Matt to be the guest speaker at all first-of-the-year faculty meetings world-wide?

This is a super book about bipolar disease.My son is bipolar and it was as if he is a charactor in this book. Good reading for kids and adults alike.It is a funny,sad and an informative book