Helen Docherty: Make It All Go Away (SPD)
- A Novel Mind
- 13 hours ago
- 4 min read
Make It All Go Away is the story of a day in the life of Melodie, whose senses
sometimes ‘feel too much / They’re like a fire: too hot to touch.’ Melodie’s
parents have planned a family day out, but what they don’t realise is that the
smells, noises, tastes, textures and bright lights of the market, café and
shopping mall will gradually overload her senses. Melodie’s day becomes more
and more difficult, and she wishes she could ‘make it all go away.’ Eventually, it
all becomes too much for Melodie: ‘I raise my hands to cover my ears / My
words are blocked… but here come tears.’
Fortunately, Melodie can use stims to help distract her, and her family take her
to a calmer space, in a park. Back home, Melodie enjoys all the things that feel
amazing to her, like the music she loves, a fluffy jumper, ‘the smell (and taste)
of fresh baked bread…/ A special blanket on my bed.’
Melodie’s story was directly inspired by the experiences of my elder daughter,
now 17. When she was little, our daughter couldn’t stand the noise made by
the hand dryers in public bathrooms; she would run out, with her hands
clamped over her ears. Shopping trips to the market were never easy, as she
hated all the smells: the ripe fruit and vegetables, and raw meat and fish. We
had to cut all the labels out of her clothes, as she found them too itchy (she
does this herself now). She couldn’t bear the sound made by waterproof
trousers or coats – which is tricky when you live in a country where it rains a
lot! It was almost impossible to get her to take any medicine when she was
sick, as she hated the taste so much. And she point-blank refused to have the
banana flavoured fluoride applied to her teeth at the dentist.
We didn’t know much about sensory processing at the time – we didn’t even
know that our daughter was neurodivergent - and it would have really helped
us to have found a book like this on the library shelves. Representation is so
important, both for the children who recognise themselves in a story, and for
other children (and adults) to see them, too. I hope this book will open up
many helpful conversations in homes, classrooms and libraries, and lead to a
greater awareness and understanding of sensory processing, and how to avoid
or cope with sensory overload.
An information page at the back of the book explains how our brains take in messages from our senses, and provides simple definitions of sensory overload, masking and stims. It also signposts the reader to sites where they can read more about this in more depth, if they wish to.
The illustrations, by Taylor Barron, bring the story to life in a vivid, sensitive
and beautiful way. It was important to me that we found an illustrator who
could relate to aspects of Melodie’s experience, bringing an authenticity to the
artwork. The bright colours and patterns that Taylor has chosen help to
accentuate the way in which Melodie’s senses are (over) stimulated by the
environments she finds herself in, as well as the beauty in nature that Melodie
finds relaxing, and which brings her joy. Representation is as important to
Taylor as it is to me, and this is reflected in the illustrations, with their cast of
diverse characters and thoroughly contemporary feel.
Before I wrote this story, I talked to my daughter extensively about her
experiences of sensory overload. She was able to articulate how it feels from
the inside, and this encouraged and helped me to write the story in the first
person. It comes from a very real, authentic place, and although everyone’s
experience will be different, I hope that many children will be able to relate to
Melodie, her difficult day and the ways she finds to feel better again.
Like all my other picture books, Make It All Go Away is written in rhyme. I
believe that children enjoy hearing the rhythm and sound of a rhyming story,
and find it satisfying to listen to (just as I find it incredibly satisfying to write in
rhyme!). It also helps them to internalise and memorise the lines of the story.
Unlike my previous books, however, this one is very much grounded in our
family’s personal experience, and also, the first with a neurodivergent
theme and central character. I hope it will resonate with many readers,
young and old.
Helen Docherty is a children’s author of many much-loved rhyming picture books, including The Snatchabook, The Storybook Knight and Someone Just Like You. Her books have been translated into 27 languages and adapted for the stage in the UK, Germany and Canada. Helen worked as a Spanish and French teacher before turning her gift with words to writing for children. She lives in Swansea, Wales. Make It All Go Away will be published on September 30th.