Laura Dockrill

About Author

Laura Dockrill, a performance poet and novelist, introduces her new picture book, I Am Strong Just Being Me, which explores what we mean in being strong.

Laura grew up in Brixton and attended the Brit School and has always written creatively - from poetry to novels and scripts to song lyrics. Laura has appeared on Blue Peter and CBeebies and is a frequent poet performer at festivals including Glastonbury, Hay, Edinburgh, London Literary Festival and Latitude.

Laura lives in London. You can follow her on X @LauraDockrill.

Interview

Laura Dockrill explores strength in I Am Strong Just Being Me (Little Tiger)

April 2025

What does it mean to say someone is 'strong'? In her new picture book, I Am Strong Just Being Me, Laura Dockrill explores different kinds of strength through the relationship between Bean and their nanna, set against the beauty and endurance of nature. The story is illustrated by Kip Alizadeh, who draws on the natural world to explore the themes in the story.

Find out more about I Am Strong Just Being Me

In this month's Q&A, we ask Laura and Kip to tell us how the book developed and they suggest ways to take this story of growth further with young children.

Q&A with Laura Dockrill

" I wanted to unpack the word Strong, what it means to us and how we use it. That it isn't speed or muscles or resilience
or being tough or not showing our emotions."

1. Thank you for joining us on ReadingZone this month. Can you tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of books you create? What do you enjoy about creating picture books, and what have been your career highlights to date?

Laura: Hello ReadinZone, I'm Laura Dockrill, I live South London with my son, my cat Sunflower and my musician husband (meaning I'm often writing to the sounds of loud drums and noisy guitars!) I have been making books and writing since I could hold a pen. I am influenced by the world around me, I love people watching and eavesdropping but also take inspiration from art, food, music and film.

I make books that are written to become friends with the reader, I used to write all sorts of wild stories that would come from my imagination but now I like to make comforting, cosy books or funny, silly ones (funny books are very special!) I write about things that are important to me. Questions I have.

My favourite three things about picture books are:
1. the way the illustrator brings so much life to the text - Kip has done such an incredible job with Strong, they've bought such a sensibility and essence to the words- receiving the work for the first time was like a birthday! That's so exciting for a writer, seeing your words come to life in this way but also seeing how the story and characters elevate.
2. That you know you are writing something that's about to go on a journey. Picture books end up in all sorts of places; schools, libraries, a kids bedroom! And as the makers we have no control in that book's destiny, it's very exciting.
3. The size of the picture book vs the small hands that read it! If you think about it most picture book readers are young children and yet they have the biggest book in size, it's like their own private theatre, all the story-world around them, illustrations coming to life! It's magic!

Kip: I'm an Iranian and English illustrator and author based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and I live with my wife and two cats. I love to illustrate lyrical and heartfelt stories. When I'm illustrating picture books, my three favourite things are making characters inspired by my experience and people that I know; playing with colour and texture to get maximum emotional impact; and working with a team of people to make the best book possible. My biggest career highlight so far has been getting nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for my work on The Wishing Flower, along with author AJ Irving.

2. What is your new picture book, I Am Strong Just Being Me, about, and what would you like young children to take from the story?

I Am Strong Just Being Me is an illustrated poem unpacking the theme of strength, using nature as a metaphor. It is also a loving conversation over generations; the wise words of Nanna and the curious and often defiant side of Bean. I wanted to unpack the word Strong, what it means to us and how we use it. That it isn't speed or muscles or resilience or being tough or not showing our emotions.

Strong is a word that gets thrown about, especially around young people. As an adult I've often found myself asking 'what is strong?' What does it look like? Where is mine when I need it the most?

I'd hope the book becomes a conversation before bedtime between adult and child, and that the book encourages children to look at nature and the outside world and see how nature uses its own unique powers to survive in the wild. And to trust that sensitivity and curiosity is also a super-power!

3. Why did you want to write a book focusing on what it means to be strong? What inspired this story about what it means to be strong?

Laura: Growing up I was often told I was 'too sensitive' or 'emotional', that I took everything 'to heart', that I needed 'thicker skin.' I so badly wanted to grow up to be a 'strong woman' (whatever that means - maybe like a Spice Girl?) Able to take on the world and whatever life threw at me.

Unfortunately, I got unwell after my son was born and when I needed this 'strong woman' within me to show up the very most, she was nowhere to be found (or I thought she wasn't). In fact, the idea of being strong only made it harder to get better - because I felt so hopeless: Why can't I be tough? Why cant I be brave? Why can't I just 'get on with it' like everyone else? What is 'wrong' with me? Why am I so 'weak'?

As soon as I lowered the expectation of myself and took the pressure off and accepted that recovery would take time and if I stopped pretending to be 'fine' and was kinder to myself- I began to feel better. Now I know this sensitivity is the resource for my creativity, it's how I make and keep relationships and appreciate and engage with the world.

Nanna is inspired by my own Nanna, who was a great friend and love in my life - she was more than a grandmother. She passed away whilst writing the book and so I wanted to have Bean's Nanna in the book, passing on her wisdom and using nature as a metaphor for life being flexible, changing and adapting and celebrating our own individual ways of being strong and what it means to us.

4. How do you help children to recognise different ways of being strong through the book, and what kinds of strength did you want to celebrate? What for you is key to the meaning of strength?

Laura: That there are so many ways our strength shows up for us and it's different for everyone. I'd say the key message, if there was one - is learning it's strong to ask for help. Often we have a 'be a hero' attitude and - for me anyway - asking for help saved my life! It is not weak, it's powerful! Oh, and being compassionate to ourselves! not trying to put on a brave face.

5. There is a lovely link to nature through the story. Why did you decide to use the natural world to help explore the concept of strength and how do you feel the images support this?

Kip's illustrations are so precious because they show how nature and wildlife uses strength to protect itself, to defend and survive. The little birdies in the nest need to use their voices to cry out for their mama when faced with threat, they have to shout and be as loud as they can, but the little mouse needs to be as quiet and as still as possible when the cat creeps past to avoid being seen.

No matter our size or shape, strength comes truly by just accepting ourselves within ourselves - and that is the message that Nanna is trying to get across. I remember someone once saying; find a tree, any tree, and watch it over the course of a year. See the way it adapts over the seasons to protect itself, just like we can. And winter, to look at the tree, branches shed of leaves, is when the most amount of work is happening. I love that, it's a great analogy for rest, for not doing everything out loud or for show.

6. Kip, what drew you to this text and how did you decide to approach the illustrations? What were the challenges in expressing the concept of strength through your pictures?

Kip: I wanted to illustrate this story because of the way it questions our traditional ideas of strength, which is something I spend a lot of time thinking about, through my experience of being masculine presenting. I also love the relationship between Bean and Nanna.

At the start it was a challenge to move past traditional ideas of strength as, just like Bean, I often feel that I need to prove myself in those ways so that people take me seriously. But the more I worked with the story and actually thought about what strength is, in relation to ourselves and other people, the more visual ideas came to me about strength. I kind of personally went through Bean's journey of learning, to come up with the pictures!

7. Can you also explain how you decided to follow the idea of using nature through your images, and particularly the lovely end papers?

Kip: For this book I was inspired by the observational drawings I have of my local park. I also spend lots of time outside in nature going running, and bird-spotting. Nature is full of strengths we don’t immediately see or think of, so it was great to explore that through the garden in this book. The endpapers were one of my favourite parts to make, and I loved finding out the different cultural and social meanings of flowers, scattered throughout this book. For example, tulips represent deep and true love, so that's why Nanna and Bean plant tulips together!

8. Do you have a favourite moment or spread in the finished book, I Am Strong Just Being Me?

Laura: So many, it's so hard to say but I love the way Kip's bought out Bean's personality, their stubborn defiance, i.e. I WILL lift this pot or watering can myself and I DON'T need help, it comes across so beautifully, as we see Bean learn as they lean into guidance, it's very lovely!

Kip: I love the spread where Bean is looking up at the birds on one page, and down at the mouse on the next. The change of perspective between the two pages is so fun and dynamic. I also based the cat on my black cat, Spencer, who did once bring me a mouse! The mouse was clever enough to be still and quiet until I could pop them safely back outside, just like the mouse in this spread.

9. Are there any discussions or activities that you could suggest following up with children while or after reading the book?

Laura: Yes! Storytelling with a trusted adult. My little boy is seven and he's just started asking adults questions about their lives, having proper conversations with grown ups, asking them about their lives and experiences. It's a great way to practice listening and learn about the world. So practice asking questions to your parent or teacher, pick up the phone and call a grandparent or write to your favourite author! And get outside with nature, or plant some seeds on your own, be close to or watch your pet - see how they behave or watch the birds outside. Or find a tree!

Kip: An activity I would suggest is bark and leaf rubbings! You need a tree with nice bark, or a good strong leaf, some crayons, coloured pencils or chalk, and paper, and you can make endless combinations of tree/leaf/crayon/coloured pencil/chalk/different papers. I made some of the textures that I used in this book this way.

10. Do you plan to explore other kinds of emotions through picture books like I Am Strong Just Being Me? What are you working on currently?

Laura: Yes I'd love to. And lots more to come!

Kip: I am currently working on a board book idea, for younger readers, and pushing myself to be visually expressive in simpler ways for that. I absolutely love exploring emotion through visual imagery and would love to work on more books like I Am Strong Just Being Me.

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