When Isla was having a bad day, she would take out the
blue tin that held treasures belonging to her Mama. Memories Mama held dear.
Today Isla was afraid.
She didn’t want to try the climbing frame. It was too high. Other children climbed and laughed, but Isla was still afraid to even try.She didn’t trust herself to try.
At home, she reached for Mama's blue tin.
Three dolls, representing
three courageous women of her family. Mama told Isla about their bravery, how
they overcame challenges even when they were terrified of what lay before them.
She talked to Isla about courage, a thing hidden inside all people, that rises to help us try the things that frighten us. The thing that the three generations of women had inside them. That Isla had inside her, too.
Isla listened to their life story, one at a time. Then put the dolls away in the blue tin.
When Isla visited the park again, she thought of
the courage, and strength, and self-belief that the women of her family had.
Will she be brave enough to reach the top of the climbing
frame?
The Doll Box looks at who we are,
how we came to be the way we are, and to understand courage, sometimes
we must search for answers in the lives of the those who have gone before us.
I loved this picture book with its deep, meaningful text, and its translation through illustrations of immense beauty.
Title: The Doll Box
Author: Deborah Kelly
Illustrator: Joanna Bartel
Publisher: EK Books , $ 24.99
Publication Date: 3 July 2024
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922539171
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book