Deborah Kelly shares how she drew on past generations' stories to craft The Doll Box, celebrating their power to inspire and heal.

What inspired you to write your latest picture book, The Doll Box?

For my thirtieth birthday a few years back, my mother gave me a picture frame with myself and my daughter in the middle, surrounded by five more generations of women on her side of the family, including herself. Growing up, I had heard their stories of war, immigration and feminism. I had learned about their strength, courage and resilience. How they overcame obstacles to not only survive but thrive.

During a particularly difficult period in my life a few years ago, I found myself looking at this picture and realising that the strength courage and resilience of all these women was within me, too.

I have dedicated this book to my mum who is one of the strongest, most resilient and courageous people I know.

This story has some powerful threads of legacy and highlights the influence of past generations on the present. What was it like to write about these themes?

I found it really inspiring to learn the stories of those who had come before me, whether they be family members or not. Knowing that others before me have been through hard times and overcame them, to not only survive but thrive, was comforting when I was going through a tough time myself. Hopefully the book will provide comfort and inspiration to kids who have their own obstacles to overcome. I hope it will show them that the strength courage and resilience they need to overcome obstacles in life is already within them. Perhaps it will also stimulate their interest in their own family histories.

What was enjoyable and what was challenging about writing about your family history?

Learning more about the stories of my family members helped me to feel closer to them. It made me reflect on the story I myself was leaving for future generations to discover perhaps. Simplifying their stories into a page or two was challenging, they were such interesting people that I could have written a book about each one of them individually.

How did the writing process of this book compare to your previous children’s books?

While this story was inspired by fact, the characters do not exactly correlate with my family members. Because rather than write an exact family history, I wanted to write a story that was relatable for young children, and that could stimulate their interest in topics like immigration, war and feminism. There was a bit more research involved in the writing of this story compared with some of my other picture books.

Were there any ways that writing this story shaped or changed you as an author?

Writing The Doll Box gave me deeper insight into my own family history — specifically the stories of the women on my mother’s side of the family. I have also realised how much has been modelled to me by the generations that preceded me, for instance studying later in life, single parenting, and writing. I suppose the process of writing The Doll Box highlighted the power of stories to comfort, heal and inspire--even more so when they are our own.

What do you hope your readers will take away from The Doll Box?

I hope that young children — particularly girls — will see that the strength courage and resilience they need to overcome obstacles in life is already within them. I hope they can be comforted and inspired by the generations who have come before them. Perhaps it will inspire them to learn more about their own family history.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

I have another picture book out this October called The Mosaic (EK Books, 2024) which is about family separation and the healing power of art. I have some chapter books for older children on the way next year, too.