Debut children's book turns heartache into story of hope

The joys of disgruntled children and his own struggle with IVF have inspired a Wollongong resident's debut storybook.

The Magic Stick Box is the first tale from Michael Kujawa, who says the punchline is “a cranky kid, a desperate dad and imagination running wild”.

“It's a day where nothing's going right for the dad, and his child will not stop crying. So he pulls out the magic stick box.

“And as he draws – not very well – and those images come to life and fill the room with excitement and wonder for himself and the child.”

It’s the ultimate story for parents struggling with their own little treasures/nightmares, and Michael says it’s inspired by a friend’s experience of fatherhood, and his own battle with IVF.

Michael met his Australian wife more than 20 years ago when she was travelling in Los Angeles. The couple moved to Australia in 2009 and were eager to raise a family, but when “things weren’t happening”, they decided to try IVF.

“We did a lot, a lot, a lot of rounds in a very short period of time, and it just became too taxing,” Michael says.

“We had to kind of weigh up – what's the gain versus the risk right now – we can’t keep doing this.

“So that's when we kind of decided, well, let's just be the best godparent, the best aunt and uncle we can be to those kids in our lives and just relish them.”

Michael says the book is a way of living out his own family experience.

“Everything I write, I kind of find and interject the dad I would have wanted to be into it,” Michael says.

“And that father-child relationship that I always imagined myself in.”

Michael has seen the joy that his book brings and on a hometown tour in May he seized the chance to read the story to children in Ohio.

“Going to the schools and seeing them interact with the story, interact with the illustrations, and then the engagement after we read the book, follow-up activities was really, really rewarding,” Michael says.

“It was also reassuring to me ... it's one of those things you go the first time, like, can I do this?

“And yeah, I've got no problem being childish, so it was really good.”

While Michael has played in rock bands since he was a teenager, including covers gigs in Sydney, performing for a class of children was an entirely different affair.

“I'm new to this industry. I've been a musician, so I'm not uncomfortable being in front of people, but being in front of five-year-olds is a different type of anxiety.”

As an author, he is influenced by memories of childhood favourites, including the works of Dr Seuss. Michael also recalls Shel Silverstein's poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, as being standouts.

Ultimately, becoming a writer was a chance to express himself in a different creative medium, channelling "dad energy".

"I just started putting pen to paper, literally,” Michael says.

Michael hopes The Magic Stick Box will be the first of many books. To find a copy, visit michaelkujawa.com