The Dada Doll: A Children's Book Review
Okay…I have a confession.
Sunday Spotlights have been nonexistent, and that’s 100% on me. Life has been busy around here, and while I’ve had plenty of books I’ve wanted to share, finding the time to sit down and actually do it has been another story.
But when Nina Rohrig reached out and asked if I would be open to featuring her book on my blog, I knew I wanted to make time for this one.
This Week’s Spotlight: The Dada Doll, written by Nina Rohrig and illustrated by Elisabetta Boughton
Sometimes a book comes along that isn't just a book you read. Sometimes it takes you straight back to a little piece of your own story. And this one did that for me.
The Dada Doll follows Aila as she prepares for her dad's deployment. Saying goodbye is harder than she imagined, but before he leaves, she receives a very special gift, a Dada Doll made from her dad's military uniform.
As the deployment continues, Aila and her Dada Doll experience adventures, quiet moments, memories, and all of those big feelings that come with missing someone you love.
I absolutely love the idea behind this book.
Because the Dada Doll isn't just a doll. It's a piece of Dad. It’s something tangible that Aila can hold onto when Dad can't be there to hold onto her. Something she can take with her, talk to, hug, sleep beside, and share adventures with. Most importantly, it’s something that helps make a very big and very confusing separation feel just a little bit more manageable.
And I think that's especially meaningful for children.
I have worked with military families throughout my career, and I have had the privilege of knowing and supporting many military-connected families personally as well.
But I also grew up in a military family.
I was five years old when my dad deployed for a year.
And while I obviously don't remember every single detail of that year, I remember the feeling of it. I remember what it was like to have a parent who was suddenly very, very far away. I remember that when you're little, a year is an incredibly long time. Being a kid, there are feelings much bigger than your vocabulary. There are questions you don't always know how to ask. But, there is something incredibly comforting about having something that makes that person feel a little closer when they can't physically be there.
That's why the idea of a Dada Doll really touched my heart.
I kept thinking about the little girl I was at five years old and how meaningful something like this could have been. And there are so many little things military families do to make deployment feel a little less overwhelming for their children.
-A countdown chart.
-A special stuffed animal.
-Pictures.
-Letters.
-Little traditions.
I love that The Dada Doll provides families the opportunity to talk about those feelings while also giving children something tangible to hold.
I think that's one of the things I love most about children's books. They give us a doorway into conversations that can sometimes be really hard to start on our own. This book opens that door to talking about missing someone, saying goodbye, waiting, love, resilience, and the fact that distance doesn't change how much someone loves you.
Counselor's Corner
What I really appreciated about this book is that it doesn’t try to make missing someone feel smaller than it is. It gives kids permission to miss their person, to feel sad, to want them home, and to still find ways to feel connected while they’re apart. That matters.
Because for kids, “Dad/mom is deployed” or “Dad/mom is away for work” can be a really big, abstract idea. Adults understand what deployment means. Kids understand something much simpler: “My person isn't here, and I miss them.”
The idea of a Dada Doll gives kids something concrete to help bridge that gap.
From a counselor perspective, I also really like the opportunity for conversation that comes with the story. You can pause while reading and ask questions like, “What do you think she is feeling right now?” or “What do you think helps when you miss someone?” But you don't have to turn it into a therapy session, either. Sometimes kids just need to snuggle up, read the story, and know that someone understands what they're feeling.
And as a mom, I love that, too.
Not every book about big feelings needs to become a lesson. Sometimes a book can simply say, “Yep. This feeling is hard.”
That’s one of the things I think The Dada Doll does especially well.
It’s sweet without feeling overly complicated, gives families an easy starting point for conversations about separation and connection, and offers kids a physical reminder of the person they’re missing.
This would be a particularly meaningful book for military families preparing for or experiencing deployment, but I think the heart of the story reaches beyond deployment, too.
Families navigating a parent who travels frequently for work, long-distance separation, extended hospital stays, divorce or separation, or any other situation where a child is missing someone they love could find something relatable here.
Because at the end of the day, the story isn't just about deployment. It’s about missing your person. And that is a feeling a whole lot of kids understand.
Tying in Social-Emotional Learning
This is usually the point in a blog post when I offer ideas for social-emotional learning activities to use alongside the book. This one is going to be a bit different. Instead of just sharing ideas, I'm going to give you the activities and tools. These are ready-to-use digital copies that you can print off and utilize.
In honor of Nina's book release, and as a thank-you to the military families who serve and sacrifice so much, I'm making these available to you for free for the next week.
I'll be linking my Love Across the Miles Letter Writing Kit and Brave Hearts Toolkit below. These were designed with military kids and families in mind to help with deployments and transitions.
Add both to your cart and use code DADADOLL at checkout. You'll receive the digital copies free for personal use. Teachers and counselors are welcome to use them, too!
Thank you, Nina, for trusting me with The Dada Doll and for creating a story that gives military children a way to see some of their own experiences reflected on the page.
And to all of the military families reading this…Thank you.
-For the waiting.
-For the goodbyes.
-For the countdowns.
-For the missed birthdays and holidays.
-For the moments of solo parenting.
-For the homecomings.
-For the little people who have to learn far too early that loving someone sometimes means missing them terribly.
This one is for you.
Grab your copy of The Dada Doll, linked below, and don't forget to use code DADADOLL on the Guided by Giggles activities linked below!
Want to See a Book Featured?
If you have a book you’d love to see featured, are a children’s book author yourself, or know an author who might enjoy having their story reviewed, I’d love to hear from you.
Feel free to reach out anytime at guidedbygiggles@gmail.com 💛
Let’s keep celebrating stories that help kids grow, one giggle (and page) at a time.
Click the picture to grab your copy of The Dada Doll:
Grab ready-to-use activities here: Add them to your cart and use code DADADOLL at checkout to grab digital copies of both of them for free (both must be in your cart for the code to apply). Ends: October 4th, 2026.
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