The first Dobby book is almost here

I'm sitting at my desk with the digital file of the first Dobby book on my screen. A duck with gold cracks on its head. A little elephant standing quietly to the side. And a story that lands more softly than I expected.

Dobby forgets a little more and more. Where he is, what he did, even who Ovi is—his very best friend. But what Dobby doesn't forget is how something feels. The warmth of a trunk around him. The smell of apple pie. The jingle of a bell that says: you are not alone.

This isn't an explanation of dementia. It's a story that does something much more difficult: it makes you feel what forgetting means. For the one who forgets. And for the one who remembers.

What makes this book different

One day, Dobby says to Ovi, "It's so beautiful here. I've never been here before." They go there every Wednesday. Ovi smiles, says nothing, and lets Dobby rediscover how beautiful it is there.

That's friendship. That's love. No correction, no frustration. Just space to reexperience what was already familiar.

From children's book to conversation starter

Written for children, but suitable for so much more. At Dobbyhuis, our day center for people with early-stage dementia, we use this book as a bridge. A gentle way to start a conversation with family, grandchildren, or with each other.

Because sometimes a duck says what you can't put into words yourself. Sometimes a simple story helps explain what's going on in your head. And sometimes it gives words to grandchildren who want to understand why Grandpa or Grandma acts differently.

Those golden cracks

Dobby wears kintsugi cracks on his head. This Japanese art involves repairing broken pottery with gold. The cracks aren't hidden; they're celebrated.

Because what's broken deserves to be seen. What's vulnerable deserves gold.

That's the core of this story. People with dementia aren't worth less because they forget. Their cracks tell a story of a life lived, of memories that still shine somewhere, of a person who is still here.

The duck keeps floating

Dobby whispers on the last page: "You don't have to know everything. You don't have to do everything. As long as you sense me a little. As long as you're with me now and then, that's enough."

What a gift to hear that what you do is enough.

With a friendship bell that rings. With a feather that continues to shine golden. With the reminder that love endures, even when everything changes. This is how a little duck teaches us what's truly important: being together is enough.

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Dobby the duck is a bit forgetful – available soon at the Dobby House and via www.dobbyinternational.com

No one is in their own right. 💛

Love,
Erica de Winter