This year, Jo Dabrowski has plenty to celebrate, with not one but two books shortlisted in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. From the laugh-out-loud letters of Dear Broccoli to the heartfelt reflections of The Thing About Christmas, Jo’s stories showcase her remarkable ability to balance humour, warmth and emotional depth. In this guest blog, Jo shares the inspiration behind her shortlisted books, the moments that shaped them, and her hopes for the children who discover their pages. Join us as we chat about creativity, family, imagination and the joy of helping young readers feel truly seen.

Congratulations on having two books shortlisted for the CBCA Awards this year! How did you feel when you received the news, and what does this recognition mean to you as a creator?
Getting the news was surprising and exciting! I think lots of creators suffer from imposter syndrome - I know I do! So it’s been lovely to be recognised by the CBCA and allow myself to think that maybe I haven’t been kidding myself, maybe I actually am a children’s author.

Dear Broccoli is packed with humour, heart and a wonderfully unexpected correspondence between a child and a vegetable! Where did the idea for the story come from, and was there a particular moment or experience that sparked Frank and Broccoli’s hilarious exchange?
I was working on an edit of my first middle grade novel and was feeling particularly confused about the process. I was worried that I’d never have another idea again! When I’m stressed I often wake up in the middle of the night feeling panicked. It was on one of these nights that I woke up at 2 or 3am with the idea of a book about a boy that hates broccoli so much he writes it angry letters. I wish I could say that my other stressful periods have led to other successful ideas, but unfortunately it’s never happened again.

One of the joys of Dear Broccoli is that it encourages children to look at a dreaded dinner guest in a completely new way. What was the most fun part of writing the book, and did any of the letters surprise you as the story developed?
Frank’s letters were definitely the most fun to write. I loved thinking of ways that Frank could outsmart Broccoli. But Broccoli’s letters were the most surprising. I did a lot of research into Broccoli’s health benefits which led me down a fruit vs vegetable rabbit hole. I had no idea that pumpkin was a fruit! While Dear Broccoli celebrates imagination and humour, The Thing About Christmas explores family, traditions and what truly matters during the festive season.

What inspired you to write this story, and are any of the traditions or moments in the book drawn from your own experiences?
My parents were immigrants so we never had a lot of family around. There were plenty of times I wished our family was bigger and that we had more under the tree at Christmas. I vividly remember ‘feeling small’. Now, as an adult and a parent, I can see that Christmas can be tough for many people for lots of different reasons. I wrote the book for those people as well as for myself.

Both shortlisted books are very different in tone, yet they share a warmth and emotional connection that readers respond to. When you're creating a new story, what are you hoping children will feel or take away from the experience of reading it?
Overall, I hope when children read my books they are engaged and entertained, but I’m also hoping that, every now and then, one of my stories makes a child really feel ‘seen’.

You’ve said that you love finding characters in whom you can see a little bit of yourself. Looking at Frank from Dear Broccoli and the families in The Thing About Christmas, is there a little bit of Jo hidden in these stories? If so, where might readers find her?
I actually love broccoli, it’s my favourite vegetable, so I’m not Frank. But I can certainly sympathise with Frank’s mum. Frank is quite a lot like one of my sons. He always has an answer for everything. He’s not the easiest kid to negotiate with! And, as for the Christmas book, I’m definitely the little boy looking at his small Christmas tree and watching the family across the way, hoping for something bigger. 

A big thank you to Jo for taking the time to chat with us. We loved hearing the stories behind her stories!