What's under the Hat, Aunty? is a story inspired by a child's question. It takes the reader through a journey, giving a snippet of the relationship Leah shared with her family, while exploring an alternative perspective when a loved one falls ill, including a treasure hunt about love, truth and loss.
Kristy and Lois had both known the Te Weehi whānau since the 80s and Leah since she was born. During a camping holiday the summer following Leah's death, Lois was working on a manuscript for a children's book and chatted about this with Leah's mum, Frances.
"At this point Frances shared with me her desire to have a children's book written about Leah.
"She recounted the occasion when Leah's nieces and nephew first saw her wearing a hat, after losing her hair due to chemotherapy, and one of the children asked, 'What's under the hat, Aunty?' Frances thought that would be a wonderful line and inspiration for a story."
Having known Leah since birth, the story unfolded for Lois, with a combination of gleaning facts about the children's relationship with their Aunty Leah and imaginative storytelling.
"These combined to incorporate the beautiful qualities that defined Leah."
After the text was completed, Frances asked Kristy to create illustrations.
"After reading the text I was inspired to create the treasure hunt that is found within the illustrations," Kristy says.
The book was then printed and given as gifts to Leah's whānau and friends. When people kept asking for more copies and telling Frances, Lois and Kristy that this book could help others, too, Kristy designed a new cover and it was reprinted for sale to the public with profits going to the Child Cancer Foundation.
"Our hope is the book will support people to process their experiences with cancer and grief. It offers people of all ages an idea, an option of a perspective on their experience or a way to support when someone has been emotionally stripped bare, lost their hair through treatment, is feeling depleted, or suffering loss of identity."
Although Kristy and Lois had known each other for decades, they had never thought of collaborating together on a book.
"We have both had long-held dreams of becoming a published author or illustrator, but it was through this shared relationship with Leah's whānau that the project eventuated. It's been an exciting and positive experience to collaborate together."
The text was completed over a two month period in 2017.
"I needed time to process my own grief over the loss of Leah before being able to start illustrating. Gathering the photographs, preparing tissue papers, creating the collages, having them scanned and then designing the book on InDesign took me several months last year," Kristy says.
The illustrations were created from paper collages including photographs of real items from Leah's life including her bed head, lampshade and clothes.
"Colour-coded clues are planted through the pages for readers to go back and find in a treasure hunt after they've reached the end of the book and once they do, they'll discover added meaning."
Kristy says visually, the images are influenced "by the great Eric Carle's tissue collages, Lauren Childs' work, Gustav Klimt and Russian Icon paintings".
Leah is of Tuhoe and Ngati Porou descent and grew up as the fourth of five children. She was a talented musician, playing cello, piano and guitar.
"Leah was very compassionate, with a kind heart and sparkly sense of humour," Lois says.
As a 14-year-old, Leah was inspired to become an ophthalmologist by her science teacher. She became a medical doctor in Auckland and was awarded the ProCare Prize in General Practice as a fifth-year undergraduate at the University of Auckland School of Medicine in 2010.
"She put her prize money towards a study placement in London. Travel was one of her life's passions, expressed in the text and illustrations of What's Under the Hat Aunty?"
The pair says feedback on their book has been "overwhelmingly positive".
"Some people enjoy What's Under The Hat, Aunty? simply as a colourful story, others love the treasure hunt and the added layer of meaning gained, while others relate even more deeply on a personal level when it reminds them of a loved one.
"Some realise what they can take from the tamariki in the book to use in their own situation. People are bravely sharing their journeys with us, explaining how the book has 'hit home' for them.
"It means a lot to find out that What's Under The Hat, Aunty? is in fact helping people, as we'd hoped."
■ What's Under the Hat, Aunty? retails for $20 and is available at Beattie and Forbes Bookshop in Ahuriri and Wardini Books in Napier and Havelock North. For more information please email: whatsunderthehataunty@gmail.com.
