REVIEWS: My dad built me the best and wackiest cubby ever
The reviews coming in for my book, My dad built me the best and wackiest cubby ever, are not only spectacular, but humbling also. In schools, at home as bedtime reading and many ways in between, the book is being read widely.
Thank you dearly for taking the time to read the book and passing on your comments, thank you for so much loving support for the story. I never imagined readers would relate to it in the way they are, children and adults alike. From the three-year old asking her grandmother to read ‘the cubby book’, to the adults reading it to help themselves emotionalise feelings arising in depression, it’s been inspirational.
The book has reached far and is being used in such places as schools and psychology waiting rooms, with children on the brink of being lost to the school system and at Lifeline, not to mention at bedtime between father and son and with a cuddle.
With poor mental health on the increase, we need to be better equipped in ourselves as adults to understand mental health, so we can help children understand it. The story of My dad built me the best and wackiest cubby ever aims to help children to manage themselves, their health and emotions as they grow into adults, as well as be more compassionate and patient of people suffering poor mental health. There are many programs and resources that help to do that and many of those are listed in my book.
All children, people, should have the opportunity to grow into and be adults with the best possible mental health.
As a parent, I wish I had this book many years ago. There is still a lot of stigma around mental illness but things are definitely getting better. Twenty years ago, we wouldn’t have seen a book like this. But every one of us will have somebody in our family that will suffer from periods of poor mental health, and Monika’s book is a way for younger children to learn about mental illness in a very optimistic and positive way.
Professor Pat McGorry AO, Orygen
You know how sometimes you read a book and it stays with you? ❤️ This is one of those books. A “kids” book that everyone needs to read 📚 Florence has read this a few times and she wants to donate it to her school library now. I deliberately didn’t tell her anything about it before her first reading and after she had read it she had a lot of questions. She really thought about what the book was saying and she loves it so much now 😍
The book is “My Dad built me the best and wackiest cubby ever” written by Dr Monika Schott and it tells the beautiful story of a child and a father navigating the dad’s mental health struggles. It is told by the child, the language is beautiful and interesting and the book is so touching 😢 I don’t want to give too much away but we love this book and I think it is a great read for parents and children alike. This book offers a way for kids to learn about mental illness in a very optimistic and positive way.
Just finished reading your important, beautifully written and illustrated book! Loved it! I think it’s a story for everyone, no matter what age! You are a wonderful writer, able to capture feelings and emotions and evoke something in each of us.
Christine, Grandmother
Your book is so beautiful. So gentle and considerate, honest and touching. Very heartfelt.
Joanne, Interior Designer
What a wonderful read!!! I absolutely loved the connection you made to the volcano experiment. Such a valuable resource for all educators and parents to share with children.
Andrea, Early Childhood Educator and Mum
A refreshing and relatable book that will help raise awareness of mental health in children and parents alike. By taking real life experiences, using the power of magical storytelling, and accompanied by the talented illustrations from Kymba Burrows, this book is a fantastic way to educate our young children on Mental Health and Wellbeing.
The book is powerful and the illustrations are very cleverly aligned to the story to create a visual of what it can be like to suffer poor mental health as the dark clouds roll into one’s mind. It will go a long way to help parents and their children be their ‘sunny selves’.
Bobby, Beyond Blue Ambassador and Speaker
Monika has done an excellent job of portraying mental health through the perspective of a child in a sensitive manner, making a potentially frightening topic more approachable and less intimidating. Books that provide such perspectives often resonate deeply with readers, offering insight and understanding into complex issues like mental health.
Chrissy, Wellbeing Educator and Deputy Principal
It’s so gorgeous! I love the patience and understanding of Mum and how slowly Dad lifts the blinds to let the sun in. And I love the activities and references at the end of the book.
Susi, Grandmother
My dad built me the best and whackiest cubby ever is a beautiful extended metaphor that gently walks the reader through the experience of suffering ill mental health. With an understanding that comes from a lived experience, Schott is able to weave micro moments throughout that cut straight to the sting imprinted on loved ones but also an ever present simmering hope. A great resource for families and within the classroom to explore and unpack the darkness and light experienced by anyone at the centre of mental ill health, or those that find themselves somewhere in the ripple effect.
Kayla Johnson, Secondary Teacher and family member in the ripples
A powerful and insightful story about the true nature of mental health, and the impact on families. Monika takes us through the journey of what it truly means to suffer mental ill health and the hope we can have when we cultivate recovery. A story for all children, especially those who have a family member going through tough times.
Nicole Ryan, Classroom Teacher
The clever use of the weather analogy to convey the fathers decline creates a powerful metaphor for the challenges faced by the family. The mother's stability and supportiveness serves as a counterbalance to the father’s emotional struggles, highlighting the importance of love, emotional intelligence and resilience in the face of adversity. This is a timely book that explores mental health, sensitively and with understanding.
Diane Rampertshammer, Former Tuning Into Kids Program Facilitator
Schott’s emotional narrative of childhood and parenting through personal circumstance shuttles readers through trepidatious waters in her own literary lifeboat. The story is prescriptive enough for readers to simply enjoy the moving quality or emotive capacity of the text, but for the intrepid reader, it is an invitation into anecdotal inquiry. Schott achieved a difficult task, in inviting her readers to share in their own experience of unconventional childhood. The language of the text scaffolds readers into a gentle call to reflect on their own experience. It leaves readers feeling supported, rather than shocked, despite the nature of the content.
Schott ensures safety and comfort for her readers as she guides them through a story that provides vocabulary and literacy towards a range of experiences. She rewards the courage and support of readers (like me) who empathise with the child in the text without compromising on the dignity of those who identify with the father. With the glorious imagery of a wacky cubby, this is a celebration of people in their unique entirety, not a shaming event. Any reader could feel invited to celebrate ‘their wacky’.
Ultimately, despite my inclination to be intimidated by texts that touch on my own stories, Schott leaves me feeling empowered by language and her articulation of feelings that have escaped my own ability to define. I’m hopeful too, that one day I might be the recipient of my own wacky cubby!
Meg, Teacher Candidate