We’re delighted to introduce Elise Norris, the creator of Dande-Lion books. Here she tells us why she wanted to publish personalised books for tri-service military children…
Can you tell us what led you to create the Dande-Lion Diary books?
I created our first personalised deployment book for our son, Alfie, in 2022. His dad was about to be deployed over his second birthday on a three-month exercise, and I wanted to ensure Alfie could understand where his dad was and feel reassured about his return. My professional background includes a decade of supporting children and young people with special educational needs (SEN), helping them access the right educational, health, and social care provisions. Drawing from SEN concepts and tools such as social stories, I developed the first Diary. It proved to be successful – Alfie began waving at every plane and shouting ‘Dada!’, understanding that his dad had gone away on a plane. We linked Dad’s return to the narrative of the Christmas tree being put up, which again helped Alfie grasp the connection with a more visual and physical time anchor.
It was interesting to see that when Dad was away, even for shorter periods, Alfie would revisit this deployment book for bedtime reading at ages three and four, demonstrating the book’s lasting impact. This highlighted the depth and value these diaries could offer, providing a physical connection to loved ones and creating a space for children to talk about a parent being away in their own way.
I wanted to launch the personalised diaries in 2022, but there wasn’t a clear distribution method at the time, and in all honesty, I lacked the confidence to start the project. In 2025, we moved to a new area, coinciding with Alfie starting school. With all these changes I was once again reflecting on the best ways to support him, I was drawn back to the Dande-Lion Diary concept. Maternity leave gave me more free time, and being accepted onto a military spouse founders course encouraged me to take the leap in opening the Dande-Lion Diary world to all service children.
“Providing a physical connection to loved ones and creating a space for children to talk about a parent being away in their own way.”
It’s so lovely the books are tri-service and yet they are tailored to the individual – was this important to you when you started on this journey?
Absolutely. The ethos of my profession has always focused on improving inclusivity for children, so ensuring the books reached all tri-service families was a must. I wanted the books to be as niche as possible to all service children to make them as relatable as possible. It was important to me that each service felt seen, so each tri-service version features a slightly different storyline, highlighting unique aspects of that service for both children and parents. For instance, our Navy edition mentions Mum or Dad finding joy in Kiev Thursday, reflecting the routine of set meals on certain days aboard ships.
What has the reaction been like from those that have seen your books?
We are so grateful that the feedback has been overwhelmingly supportive and positive from children, parents, schools, and professionals. Everyone appreciates the fresh perspective of the Dandelion analogy. Many parents and professionals have expressed that our personalised diaries are truly needed. Parents are planning to order our diaries in preparation for upcoming deployments.
Our initial focus was on personalised diaries, which remains our passion. However, repeated feedback from schools and professionals has prompted us to develop more generalised versions for use in educational settings, leading to the creation of our Dion’s Diary: Feelings in Bloom story collection.
“Many parents and professionals have expressed that our personalised diaries are truly needed.”
What are your hopes for the books?
Based on the success of the diaries with our eldest, I hope the personalised diaries will serve as a source of reassurance during times apart. In our home, these diaries have provided a safe space for story sharing, starting conversations about misunderstandings or concerns from our son that we could address and reassure him about. Without this narrative, we might have missed opportunities to unpack these feelings. Overall, I want the Dande-Lion Diaries to elevate service children’s sense of pride in the unique cohort they belong to. We chose our mascot to enhance the standard dandelion analogy, aiming for something children would love and wear with pride.
Do you have more titles planned?
Yes, I have more ideas than time! I began with the deployment theme because it is the most common theme across all services. The next phase will focus on moving home, with personalised diaries to help children recap their time at a posting or prepare for a new one. Alongside this, I will introduce a Dion’s Diary Moving Home story collection. New schools and Remembrance are also top priorities for upcoming themes.
Thanks so much for sharing Elise!