The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Dimity Powell and Review of The Boy Who Lost His Laugh
- 2 minutes ago
- 9 min read
Award winning children’s author, Dimity Powell writes and reviews exclusively for children with over 30 published stories and digital narratives and is the former Managing Editor of Kids’ Book Review.
She believes picture books are life essentials, like ice cream; to be enjoyed at least once a day. Her stories are regularly described as powerful and emotive, laced with humour and lilting language to soften the often-sensitive subject matter she tackles. Several of her titles have been published in simplified Chinese, Polish, Spanish and Slovenian. Dimity is a sought-after international presenter and educator of all things Kids’ Lit who believes in the transformative power of the ocean and stories yet still can’t surf despite living on the Gold Coast, Australia.
Dimity is the author of This is My Dad (2022), Oswald Messweather (2021), Pippa (2017), the SCBWI Crystal Kite award-winning At the End of Holyrood Lane (2018) and the critically acclaimed, The Fix-It Man (2017).
Her newest picture book, The Boy Who Lost His Laugh, releases March 10th.
Welcome back Dimity, I’m excited to chat about your new picture book.
What is one of the most fun or unusual places where you’ve written a manuscript?
Planes, trains and super yachts, sincerely! Airports and international flights seem to work wonders for my focus. I zone out and work better against the white noise, knowing I have time to really get among my thoughts and hear the story properly. A story that recently got accepted for publication was actually penned on an island in the Whitsundays off the east coast of Australia. I used to live and work on said island so I knew the ‘quiet’ nooks and crannies where I could hole-up and write away, with the gorgeous azure Dent Island Passage as my backdrop. That was my most magical writing spot to date. Sadly, these writing habits are not financially sustainable!
Oh my gosh, that sounds like a heavenly place to write! What was your inspiration or spark of interest for The Boy Who Lost His Laugh?
In 2012, I won first prize in a short story writing competition – I wrote a lot of short stories back then. The theme was laughter, which prompted the usual ‘what if …?’ response from me; What if a young boy lost his laughter somehow? Why? Would it be forever? What could possibly restore his laughter and thus joy? This occurred a little while after we’d been exploring the possibility of becoming foster parents ourselves, so I guess the idea of Tim being a foster kid seemed a natural fit.
I love using "what if...?" prompts and it's awesome that you set in the life of a foster kid. What is the hardest or most challenging thing about writing The Boy Who Lost His Laugh? And what was the most fun?
The Boy Who Lost His Laugh is another title through EK Books. Because their global mission is to create books with heart about subjects that matter, I generally like to research my topics thoroughly before offering them a new storyline. Alas, our quest to expand our own family (through fostering) never eventuated but while re-writing Tim’s story I deep dived into foster care, kinship care, and other forms of out-of-home-care for youngsters not just in Australia but around the world including Europe and the Americas.
The statistics I unearthed and the services that exist though often struggle to meet the demands of this societal systemic problem, not only enlightened me but also disturbed me. These kinds of revelations don’t always find their way into every story, but they awaken a more encompassing appreciation of the subject matter; in this case of the fostering systems, the young people in them, the marvelous organizations that facilitate care and of course the foster families themselves. It’s this sort of awareness that becomes my mission to portray through storytelling. For me, doing that through a relatable picture book character is the unique and beautiful challenge.
The most fun aspect is actually when I see my story spring to visual life through the illustrations. Working with the illustrator and publisher in close creative collab, a delicious toing and froing of ideas and appraisals, is hands down the most enjoyable part of the book making process for me.
You do an amazing job of tackling important topics with heart and honesty. I adore your books! How many revisions did The Boy Who Lost His Laugh take from first draft to publication? How does this compare with your other picture books?
Paring down a short story to a 32-page picture book is a little like taking a main course and restructuring it into an appetizer. I wanted to retain the emotional impact whilst still allowing for visual interpretation. I had to be mindful of the complexity of the subject matter and focus on an element of it that would be accessible and understandable to anyone who reads Tim’s story, whether they are a foster child or not. I began this ‘reshaping and pruning’ some seven years after writing the original script. It underwent five more drafts in the next three years before I was satisfied with the final result. Comparatively, this is about how fast (or slow!) I roll. I often get sidetracked, leave a WIP to marinate, come back months / years later. But taking the ‘scenic route’ to writing often allows me the time and space to review, refine and remove which, I hope, results in a far tighter, saleable story. So technically, the timeline for this particular story is: First Draft 2012, Final 2022, Publication 2026. Patience is key in the world of picture book production!
Wow! Thanks for sharing the statistics. Patience indeed is required for picture books. Did anything surprise or amaze you when you first saw Heidi Cooper-Smith ‘s illustrations? What is your favorite spread?
I was delighted when the publisher chose Heidi Cooper-Smith to illustrate Tim’s story. Heidi’s ability to portray humans and their emotions is sublime, achingly accurate but also beautifully soft and alluring. I was legitimately amazed when I saw her first drafts of Tim. I might have fallen even more in love with him.
Text © Dimity Powell, 2026. Image © Heidi Cooper-Smith, 2026.
My fave spread is the overhead POV of Tim in his bedroom. I find different perspectives exciting. It’s a lovely way of retaining the readers’ interest while compelling curiosity and wonder. A bit like that standing-on-the-desk scene from Dead Poets Society where Robin Williams gets his students to, ‘see things a different way’. Good storytelling whatever the medium should be this level of awe-inspiring. I also adore the silent sub characters’ storyline that subtly takes place against the main one. Parallel visual narratives like this enhance the fun of the experience but also enrich the theme and flow of the storyline.
I agree with you about falling in love with Tim! The illustrations are so gorgeous and compelling. Is there something you want your readers to know or discover about The Boy Who Lost His Laugh?
Yes, so much, but simply, I hope that Tim’s story highlights the realities of foster care, at least one aspect of it, and reminds readers that even when a child loses their laugh, hope can help restore it.
To paraphrase Byran Smith, CEO of Queensland’s Foster Kinship Care organization, I hope that this book helps to represent all that (they) not only do but just as importantly consider when caring for children who have experienced or who are experiencing trauma. Our little people are the very reason we are here and telling a story of loss and hope portrays many of those inner feelings that exist in our children.
You have definitely succeeded with that wish. Are there any projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
Happily, yes! After a creative hiatus of sorts these past few years, I’m dusting off a few past ideas, reworking them and indulging in new ones. To get among my words again is a joyful thing. So yes, there are a couple of new (picture book) publications in the works (2027, 2028) which is beyond exciting.
I can't wait to see these new books! Best of luck with all your projects. Last question, what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?
MA84534379-Great-Barrier-Reef-NASA-aerial-view & © sailing-whitsundays.com
My penultimate fave National Park is fondly referred to as the GBR, or Great Barrier Reef, right here in my very own backyard aka Queensland. Specifically, I adore the Whitsunday Islands, many of which are national parks. What can I say, I’m an island gal! I’ve travelled extensively but have yet to visit the continents of Antarctica, South America or southern Africa. My bucket list is bananas!
Thank you Dimity for visiting and sharing about yourself and your books.
To learn more about Dimity Powell, or contact her visit:
Website: https://www.dimitypowell.com/
Threads: @dimityspowell
Good Reads Author: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6450600.Dimity_Powell
Review of The Boy Who Lost His Laugh
I adore Dimity Powell's books. Not just because she is a dear friend, but because each one is so powerful and heartfelt. I have found a piece of myself, a friend or a family member in each of her books. Her newest picture book is just as poignant, and absolutely gorgeous. It transports the reader into the shoes and emotions of a child as he navigates the foster care system. This is a treasure you don't want to miss.
The Boy Who Lost His Laugh
Author: Dimity Powell
Illustrator: Heidi Cooper Smith
Publisher: Exisle Publishing (March 10, 20206)
Ages: 4 - 8
Fiction:
Themes:
Foster care, adoption, forever homes, and family.
Synopsis:
Tim loves his collection of dinosaurs—but one thing he’d love even more is a family of his own.
Tim’s beloved dinosaur collection travels with him wherever he goes. But Tim travels a lot—he is a foster child and has to move from one family to the next all too often.
Tim is always losing things, so when he moves in with the Lee family he doesn’t bother unpacking his dinosaurs in case they get lost when he has to move again. But one day he realizes he has lost something just as precious as his dinosaurs: his laugh. He doesn’t know where he lost it, but it definitely disappeared.
The kind Lee family help Tim look for his laugh, but no one can find it anywhere. Then one day, some news arrives that might just help Tim find his laugh again.
The Boy Who Lost His Laugh takes a sensitive look
8at foster care from the child’s perspective, and shows how humor and love can help you bounce back and find what you’ve been looking for all along.
Opening Lines:
Tim had a legion of dinosaurs, hair he
forgot to brush, a freckly nose and a weird
smell when he ran around too much.
But, the one thing Tim had never had …
What I LOVED about this book:
This is such a fun, joyous, opening. You can't help but smile at the touseled-haired Tim joyously romping with five dinosaurs on a sunny day. But this opening is tempered a bit by the slightly jarring, comment of his "weird smell." Before we have too much time to ponder this, the intriguing comment that there is "one thing Tim never had . . ." beautifully sets the stage for the page turn . . .
Text © Dimity Powell, 2026. Image © Heidi Cooper-Smith, 2026.
and the reveal that Tim has never had "a family of his own." Heidi Cooper-Smith's gorgeous digital illustration poignantly captures Tim's loneliness and longing as he watches a loving family examine an inchworm at the park.
Text © Dimity Powell, 2026. Image © Heidi Cooper-Smith, 2026.
As heart-breaking as this image is, the next image showing Tim looking out a car window, clutching his box of dinosaurs, as his latest foster family waves goodbye, is even sadder. Especially when we learned that somewhere, in all Tim's moves, he'd lost his laugh. Interestingly, as a fun little treasure, Heidi Cooper-Smith added an inchworm crawling along the window of the car. Through a creative collage of five polaroid pictures, we experience Tim's shuttling through a series of foster homes and the gradual disappearance of his laugh.
Text © Dimity Powell, 2026. Image © Heidi Cooper-Smith, 2026.
Two humorous and heartfelt spreads of Tim's newest foster home lead up to the image above in Dimity's interview of Tim lying on top of a dinosaur quilt and a dinosaur pillow, clutching a dinosaur, with four dinosaur posters on the wall. And Tim's heart aching wish that, "he could stay with the Lee family forever. He wished he could unpack for good." For a brief moment, Tim almost cracks a smile. But his prior experiences of things never working out for him and his fervent wish for his own family cement the frown on his face.
I'm going to make you read the book to discover the truly special and heartfelt ending. This is an amazingly honest and hopeful window, allowing kids (and adults) to understand what it feels like to be a foster kid, and a beautiful and touching mirror for kids in the foster system to see themselves in a book, know they are seen and are important. A magnificent heartfelt book, full of honesty and hope, with a dash of humor.
Resources:
check out all the book's arts and crafts on Dimity 's website.
does your area have an organization that helps foster kids, like Treehouse For Kids (Seattle, WA), Hope in a Suitcase (L.A., Calif) or (Australia), Fostering Hope (Western Australia), Foster Love Project (Pittsburg, PA), etc. Reach out and see what donations they need and if you can help fill backpacks or suitcases for the foster kids.
pair this with Home for a While by Lauren H. Kerstein, illustrated by Natalia Moore and Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Alexandria Neonakis.
