The Illustrated Mum facts for kids
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| Author | Jacqueline Wilson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Nick Sharratt |
| Cover artist | Nick Sharratt |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
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Publication date
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1999 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 222 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 0385408889 |
| OCLC | 59399913 |
| LC Class | PZ7.W6957 Il 2005 |
The Illustrated Mum is a popular children's novel written by the English author Jacqueline Wilson. It was first published in 1999 and features fun drawings by Nick Sharratt. The story is set in London and is told from the point of view of a young girl named Dolphin.
Dolphin's mother, Marigold, is a big part of the story. She is known as "the illustrated mum" because she has many tattoos. Marigold also has a condition called bipolar disorder, which means her moods can change a lot. The book's title is a nod to The Illustrated Man, another book famous for its tattoo theme.
Jacqueline Wilson and The Illustrated Mum won the important Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. This award is judged by other British children's writers. By 2001, the book had been translated into many languages, including Finnish, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, and Catalan. The first American edition came out in 2005.
Contents
The Story of The Illustrated Mum
Life with Marigold
Dolphin and her older sister, Star, live with their mum, Marigold, in a small flat in London. Marigold loves tattoos and has a condition called bipolar disorder. This means her feelings can swing from being very happy and energetic to very sad and low.
Dolphin thinks Marigold is amazing and special. She loves her mum very much. But Star feels embarrassed by Marigold's tattoos and her sometimes unpredictable behavior. Dolphin also feels like she doesn't quite fit in at school. Some classmates pick on her, and she feels her teacher isn't always kind. Dolphin also finds reading and writing tricky because she has dyslexia. Star seems more popular than Dolphin. Dolphin doesn't like that Star has an older boyfriend. Later, Dolphin becomes friends with Oliver, a quiet and smart boy. He often spends lunch in the library to avoid being teased.
Micky's Return
Marigold buys tickets to see her favorite band, Emerald City. She hopes to find Micky, who is Star's father and someone Marigold is still in love with. Both Dolphin and Star are surprised when Marigold comes home that night with Micky. He didn't know he had a daughter and is very excited to meet Star. Star loves him right away.
However, Dolphin doesn't like Micky. She feels he left Marigold and didn't care about Star. Micky takes them all to London for a fun day. They do many exciting things and go shopping. But Dolphin feels ignored by everyone all day. Marigold is sure they will all live together as a family now. But Micky just drops them off at home and goes back to his place in Brighton.
Changes and Challenges
In the days that follow, Micky sends them presents. Star even goes to spend a weekend with him. Marigold had hoped to get back together with Micky. She gets very upset when she hears he has a girlfriend living with him. Micky doesn't have romantic feelings for Marigold because of her mental health. He invites both Star and Dolphin to come live with him.
Dolphin still doesn't like Micky. She stays loyal to Marigold and refuses to leave her. But Star decides to go and live with Micky. After Star leaves, Marigold has a very difficult time. She paints herself white all over using paint to try and hide her tattoos. Dolphin calls for an ambulance, even though she knows Marigold is scared of hospitals. Later, Dolphin learns that Marigold might need to stay in the hospital for a while because of her mental illness.
New Beginnings
With her mum in the hospital and nowhere else to go, Oliver encourages Dolphin to find her real father. Dolphin knows almost nothing about him, except that his name is also Michael and he's a swimming instructor. Together, Dolphin and Oliver manage to find him. He is happy to meet Dolphin.
Dolphin hopes he will take care of her. But she learns he already has a wife and daughters. He decides to do things properly and contacts child services. This means Dolphin will go into foster care for a little while. Dolphin is very scared at first. Marigold had told her scary stories about her own childhood in foster homes. But Dolphin stays with a kind older woman who has three babies. Dolphin's father takes her to visit Marigold, who is now taking medication for her bipolar disorder. Dolphin and her father slowly start to build a relationship.
Star appears at the foster home. She had gone back to the flat and found both Marigold and Dolphin gone. Star stays in foster care with Dolphin. They argue at first, with Star blaming Dolphin for ruining her time with Micky. Star doesn't want to believe what Dolphin tells her. But then they make up and go to visit Marigold together. The story ends with Dolphin realizing that even though Marigold is in the hospital and she and Star are in foster care, they are still a family.
Television Adaptation
The Illustrated Mum was made into a television drama. Michelle Collins played Marigold Westward. Alice Connor played Dolphin, and Holly Grainger played Star. The script was written by Debbie Isitt, and Cilla Ware directed it. Cilla Ware had also directed other TV shows based on Jacqueline Wilson's books, like Double Act and Best Friends.
Main Characters
- Dolphin Westward – Dolphin is the daughter of Michael and Marigold. She feels very different from her older sister, Star. Star is beautiful and confident. Dolphin has mousy hair and greyish-green eyes. She is shy but also strong-willed. She doesn't have many friends at school and worries a lot about her mum's unpredictable behavior.
- Star Westward – Star is the daughter of Micky and Marigold, and Dolphin's older sister. She is very beautiful with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. She loves Dolphin, but as she gets older, she starts to put her own social life first. She prefers to go out without Dolphin, especially with her former boyfriend, Mark.
- Marigold Westward – Marigold is the mother of Star and Dolphin. After having Star, she met Michael (Dolphin's father) at a swimming pool. She had Dolphin with him, but she wasn't as keen on him and left him. Her changing moods make Star angry, but Dolphin loves her mum deeply, even though she sometimes feels scared.
- Micky – Micky is Star's father and was Marigold's first boyfriend. Marigold still loves him very much. However, Micky is not interested in her because of her mental health. He avoids her but adores Star as his daughter.
- Oliver Morris – Oliver is Dolphin's best friend. He wears glasses and is very kind. He helps Dolphin find her father and is always there to support her.
- Miss Hill – Dolphin's teacher at school. She can be mean but isn't completely unkind.
- Michael – Michael is Dolphin's father and was Marigold's second boyfriend. He has a wife and two daughters. He meets Dolphin when she comes to find him. He is more sensible and understanding than Micky.
- Mr Harrison – Mr Harrison is Dolphin's school librarian. He is the kindest teacher at the school.
- Aunty Jane – Aunty Jane is Dolphin's foster mother. She is married to Uncle Eddie. She is described as not pretty, with a red face and short grey hair. But she is very caring and kind. She has an older son who is at university and several younger foster children who are babies.
- Ronnie Churley – Ronnie is the school bully. He often picks on Dolphin and Oliver.
- Kayleigh and Yvonne – These are mean girls at school. They call Dolphin names like "Bottle Nose."
- Natasha (Tasha) – Tasha is considered the most beautiful girl in Dolphin's class. She has long blonde hair. Dolphin really wants to be her friend, but Tasha isn't interested.
- Mrs Luft – Mrs Luft is Dolphin, Star, and Marigold's grumpy neighbor. She is mean and doesn't approve of Dolphin and her family. She tries to stay away from them but often makes rude comments.
The TV drama won the Children's BAFTA award in 2005 for best schools drama. Debbie Isitt also won an award for best adapted writer for her work on the show.
Cast Members
- Dolphin Westward - Alice Connor
- Marigold Westward - Michelle Collins
- Star Westward - Holly Grainger
- Micky - Con O'Neill
- Oliver Morris - Henry Cox
- Miss Hill - Lisa George
- Mr Harrison - John Elkington
- Tasha - Sacha Parkinson
- Mark - Luke Bailey
Awards and Recognition
The television adaptation of The Illustrated Mum won the 2004 BAFTA award for best schools drama. This TV show was produced in 2003 by Channel 4's Films4Schools. The cast included Sacha Parkinson, Michelle Collins, and Holly Grainger.
Also, Debbie Isitt won the 2004 BAFTA award for best adapted writer for her amazing script for this production.
