About

For many years, my friend Alison Lester and I have volunteered regularly at The Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. We do all sorts of writing and drawing and creating with the kids there.

The idea for this book sprang from a conversation we were having with the young patients, about where the people who work at the hospital go at the end of the day.

Then we started imagining all the wonderful imaginary places we could go! And the book was born.

Dreaming up wonderful worlds was a welcome distraction for kids who are stuck in hospital, often for months at a time. It gave them a kind of freedom, even if it was only in their imaginations.

The shape of the book evolved quite organically out of discussions with kids about their own imaginary worlds, and then understanding that really the place they all wanted to be, really yearned for, was their own home. This structure for the book worked so well because it could be relevant and relatable to children in a hospital, as well as to children in the broader community, as home is a sanctuary for most of us.