Author Su-yin Ingle tells us about her newly published book, Together, which she wrote for her young children to help them understand her diagnosis and what was happening.

The book can be purchased here from Amazon Australia.

With a background in Fine Art and as a teacher of Art, Design and Photography, creating and illustrating children’s picture books has long been a dream of mine. After my children were born, our days were filled with creativity, play, and endless mess-making, fuelling my passion for storytelling and illustration. 
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and a meningioma, months of treatment meant time away from my young children for the first time in their lives. The separation, fear, and confusion deeply affected them, and our family had to find new ways to understand and cope with the big emotions that followed.   
As we slowly healed, my children and I began to draw and to play out different scenarios together and we began to turn our experiences into a story, one that could help us make sense of what we’d been through. Together grew from there: a gentle, visual guide to the medical moments, tender conversations, and complex feelings families face during a parent’s cancer diagnosis.   
Created with honesty and hope, this book is our way of offering comfort and understanding to other families navigating a similarly challenging time. May it help you, as it helped us, find language, connection, and light in a difficult chapter. Together, A Little Girl’s Story of Love’s Healing Medicine is a gentle tender story to bring comfort, courage and hope to share and cherish together.

Why Parents & Children Love This Book:
·         Opens up meaningful conversations about illness, healing, and emotions in a safe, age-appropriate way;
·         Encourages emotional resilience and empathy in children experiencing change or uncertainty;
·         Comforting and hopeful tone that reassures both parents and children;
·         Beautifully illustrated with real artwork created by the author and her children;
·         Inspired by true events, offering a sincere and relatable perspective for families facing similar challenges.
Perfect For:           
·         Families navigating a cancer diagnosis or illness
·         Parents wanting to help children express feelings of worry, sadness, or confusion
·         Counsellors, teachers, and support workers seeking gentle resources for emotional wellbeing
·         Bedtime reading to nurture connection, comfort, and hope
·         Children aged 3 to 8 years

From guest blogger Su-yin Ingle