The Doll Box

 The Doll Box

Reviewed By  Grasshopper2       July 6, 2024

 

Author  Deborah Kelly . Illustrations Joanna Bartel.

Distributor:      EK Books
ISBN:                 9781922539700
Publisher:         Exisle Publishers
Release Date:   July 2024  

Website:    https://ekbooks.org/product/the-doll-box/?v=6cc98ba2045f 

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Isla was afraid of the climbing frame. Her legs were shaky, and her arms were achy, and she felt she would never be brave enough to climb it. After another failed attempt she went home with her Mum and brought out her favourite toy. It was a small blue tin. It contained three dolls and she loved to line them up and play with them. Isla asked her mum why the dolls were so special, and she was told that each of them represented a woman in their family.

 Isla’s Great, Great Grandma Sarah was afraid of the water, but she boarded a ship with her husband and baby and crossed the ocean to start a new life. The next doll represented Isla’s Great Grandmother who had worked on a farm during the war when the men had gone overseas. The last doll represented Isla’s Grandmother who always wanted to mend things and went on to study engineering; the only girl in the class.

So, Isla realised that the women in her family were brave and strong and believed in themselves. When she next came to the climbing frame she remembered the bravery, strength and belief of those women, and persisted in her climb.

With charming illustrations and a small amount of text, this story contains a powerful message of bringing the past alive and the realisation that we are an amalgam of those who went before us.

Childrens, Non-fiction