The Doll Box

By Deborah Kelly & Joanna Bartel

Reviewed by Margarite Igras

With the present-day interest in family ancestry in mind, here is a poignant story about three maternal generations of women, their personal stories of resilience, strength and self-belief in overcoming life challenges, and a little girl who draws inspiration from these forebears, to overcome some personal fears.

The author used her family research for the story, claiming, I wrote it for my daughter while my family was going through a particularly difficult time.  Joanna Bartel’s detailed drawings and careful selection of colours gives a greater depth and meaning to this muti-themed story that includes, immigration, war and the feminine push for equality.

Of all of Mama’s treasures, Isla’s favourite was a small blue tin containing three small dolls, each one representing a cherished woman in her mother’s family. Isla loved to hear her mother tell the lived stories of these past women. Great Great grandmother Sarah was afraid of water but bravely got on a ship and sailed across the ocean to a new country. Great grandmother Phyllis showed strength working long hours on a farm to feed the soldiers who were fighting a war and Grandmother Gaga believed in herself when she enrolled in a university course that was traditionally only for boys. Could Isla have inherited some of those qualities too? Could she have the courage strength and self-belief to overcome her fear and get to the top of the climbing frame?

Joanne Bartel’s illustrations sensitively blend with the text, with the historical periods coloured in sepia and the memory of the brave ancestral women, lovingly cocooned with floral patterns. This in a story that could easily lead to further discussion about social change and may encourage children from 4 to 10 to research and connect with some of the names, achievements and adversities of people in their family history.

Colouring in pages

Teacher’s Notes

EK Books 2024