Becoming an author of children’s books has been somewhat of a plot twist for UNE early childhood education researcher Dr Marg Rogers.

When her research into defence families uncovered a lack of Australian resources from children’s perspectives to help them cope, Marg began to write stories that reflected the experiences she heard.

Now an author of 14 storybooks to date, the diversity of stories reflect the circumstances and experiences of children from a range of  families – including defence, veteran, FIFO workers and first responders.

The books play a central role in a suite of free resources designed for children, families and their support networks, and are receiving glowing feedback.

Dr Rogers has learned a thing or two along the way, so for Book Week, we asked her some questions to give a behind-the-scenes look at the process of creating a children’s storybook as a resource.

Q&A with Dr Marg Rogers

What is the strength of creating children’s storybooks as a resource?

Storybooks are a powerful resource because humans are drawn to narratives. We empathise with characters and we drop our guard. For example, we don’t like being told what to do, but we will listen if the lesson or moral is told through a story.

Storybooks have the added benefit of pictures to tell the story. This ensures the story is more memorable because it is a multisensory experience. Also, many stories have the ability to cut through cultures and time periods. As such, we are currently working to culturally translate our research-based storybooks for Canadian families.

What have you found challenging about creating children’s books?

We often write about very serious topics, such as a parent with PTSD or a work-related physical or moral injury. Creating a useful resource that covers the information the child needs to know about what they are experiencing at home can be challenging in a standard number of pages.

I write stories from lived and living experience narratives. There is a big responsibility to make sure you stay true to the stories people give you.

I used to write alone, but more recently, I have led a very large writing team to co-create the story. That was much harder, as there were many different styles and ideas to blend into the narrative.

What makes a great children’s book?

The magic happens when the illustrator and the author combine their creativity. The illustrations bring to life the author’s words and the experiences and feelings of the characters. A good storybook allows children to practice their emotions safely. It also acts as a springboard for conversations between children and adults.

There needs to be something on each page to grab different children’s attention. I like illustrations with details that make a page special and appeal to children with different interests. Very clever authors and illustrators will appeal to a wide audience, and create books that adults don’t mind reading to children over and over. This might be because of the power of the story, the interesting characters or the beautiful illustrations. It is often all three combined.

How do you balance the creative and imaginative side of a storybook with the informative message?

That is very difficult! Sometimes we need to resist spelling everything out and leave some things to the imagination of children.

Sometimes, I might think it is obvious what a character is feeling or what they might have been through, and someone will say to me, ‘Oh, you need to explain that more’. It’s good to act on that feedback, because as authors we can forget a reader will be getting to know the character for the first time.

What is your process when working with an illustrator?

For me, the most enjoyable part of the process is working with the illustrator. They are good at everything I’m not, so it is a wonderful partnership!

After I give the illustrator the manuscript, we work on creating the characters. I give a few ideas, and they read the story and create some characters for me to check. I find it quite joyful to see your ideas come to life. I have never had an illustrator create something even close to what I imagined the character to look like, but I actually like that.

They then start mocking up scenes, working out who and what will be on each page. From there the illustrator goes off and normally does a few pages for review. After a few emails back and forth, I leave them to create their masterpiece. We have more back and forth and this is when the text sometimes gets changed. Once you see the text with the pictures, you sometimes need to adapt it to fit the drawings, or to make it fit well on the page.

What have you learnt and improved along the way as you’ve created a large suite of children’s storybooks?

It’s been a great privilege and a surprise part of my work. I had never thought of myself as a children’s author. I have learned to trust the process, and eventually you grow in confidence and style. I have also grown in appreciation for the work graphic artists do!

How are your storybooks best used for optimal impact?

Most of our storybooks have downloadable educational resources, such as puppets, puzzles, and educational games, that accompany them. These resources can support children’s language and engagement with the storybook. Additionally, there are audio and video read-alongs, and some have Key Word Signing read-alongs to support the accessibility of the book. 

Some e-storybooks can be read to a wide audience, while others are specifically for children from the service families. They are not suitable for classroom reading, rather they are a tool to support those children already experiencing the challenges of having a parent with a service related injury, mental health condition or moral injury. These books can improve children’s understanding and provide a starting point for supportive conversations with caring adults, such as parents, support workers and clinicians.

Find the free resources on the Child and Family Resilience Programs (CFRP) website.