Deborah Kelly (text) and Joanna Bartel (illustrator), The Doll Box, EK Books, July 2024, RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922 539700
Isla is afraid of trying to scale the climbing frame in the park. She doesn’t want to try it again because her legs are too shaky and her arms are too achy. However, when she takes out the small blue tin from the shelf in her bedroom, she finds three dolls inside it.
Her mother explains that the first doll, represents Great Great Grandma Sarah who bravely travelled to Australia in a ship when she couldn’t swim. The second doll is Great Grandmother Phyllis who worked tirelessly in the war to run the farm to provide soldiers with food. The third doll is Isla’s grandmother Gaga. Despite only boys studying engineering, Gaga enrolled in engineering at the university.
The women in Isla’s ancestry show courage, strength and self-belief. Isla realises she is ‘all of them.’ With these powers and a stronger sense of connectedness to her family, Isla tackles the climbing frame. She celebrates when she reaches the top.
Deborah Kelly translated her own heritage into the dolls. She passed these stories onto her daughter. The book shares family stories fostering ‘girl power’ built on generations of self-reliance. Illustrated by Joanna Bartel, the beautiful end papers and floral designs supplement the story.
Suitable for 3 to 8
Reviewed by Susanne Gervay
