The Doll Box by Deborah Kelly illustrated by Joanna Bartel

Young Isla is afraid of the climbing frame at the park. 

"Her legs were too shaky. Her arms were too achy. She would never make it to the top."

Isla takes comfort at home by playing with an old small blue tin. Inside there are three dolls. Isla has played with them many times but today is the day her mother tells her the story of each one. Grand Great Grandma Sarah was so brave. She couldn't swim and had no idea what lay ahead but she got on a ship and sailed to a new country and a new life. Great Grandma Phyllis worked so hard during the war when all the men had gone away. She ran a farm and grew vegetables for the soldiers. And then there is her grandmother - Gaga. When she was a young woman girls did not go to university but she was so clever so after she finished school she did study engineering even though she was the only girl in the class.

Hearing these family stories gives Isla the courage to conquer the climbing frame and perhaps, I would like to think, knowing, albeit very briefly, these stories will also give the courage to try other difficult or scary things in the future. 

I wish this book had a timeline at the back or perhaps an expansion of the family tree that we anticipate from the cover. I do like the way the pages showing the grandmothers as younger women are presented in a sepia style. The end papers are filled with a sweet nostalgic pattern rather like old wall paper. 

If I was sharing this book with a group of young children I would bring along some of my own old dolls and use them to talk about my grandmother who raised four children on her own while living in the CBD of Sydney in Pitt Street as a building superintendent. I don't have any of her dolls and my own mum only had one doll which she had to share with her sister but I do have my doll and her beautiful set of hand stitched clothes made by my grandmother and I have the doll someone important and rich gave my mum when I was born - she is a walking doll called Rosemary. This is not her photo but she is similar:

You might be thinking this is a book that will appeal more to girls. Again if I was sharing this book with a group of children in my library I would also take along my antique toy fire engine - it belonged to a relative of my father, then my father, then my older cousin (a boy) and then finally it came to me! Talking about this toy links perfectly with a discussion about the 1930s depression here in Australia. 

Image source: Buddy L museum

There are also lots of picture books which use quilts as a way to talk about family history. 

Publisher blurb: Whenever Isla’s mother brings out her small blue doll box, Isla knows she will hear the stories of the women in her family’s past. Their incredible tales of immigration, war, and fighting for their rights show Isla the strength she has in herself and lead her on a journey of self-discovery. Inspired by the author’s own family, The Doll Box is a testament to the power of our personal histories, and the spirit of the many women who had to overcome incredible odds to achieve their dreams.

The Doll Box might be a 2025 CBCA Early Childhood notable title although this category is for readers aged 0-6. It was better when the CBCA set up this category for ages 3-8.

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. Kids' Book Review

There is so much we can learn by handing down stories, by listening to the stories of our grandparents, by asking questions, finding connections, discovering things about our predecessors, the grandparents who came before us, inside ourselves. NZ Poetry Box

Companion books:

This Old thing

Other books by Deborah Kelly:

The Thing about Oliver

Read more about The Mosaic

Other books illustrated by Joanna Bartel:

Violin and Cello