Souvenirs of the Heart

A single sunrise can outshine a whole gift shop, and that’s the kind of quiet truth we dig into with children’s author and artist Michelle Dahl. Michelle spent years as an elementary school teacher, and her chapter book “A Walk with Grandpair, Mickey’s Souvenirs” began as a personal narrative writing tool for her students. After retirement, she pulled that classroom framework back off the shelf, followed the memory further, and turned it into a story that honors childhood wonder, family traditions, and the influence a grandparent can have in one ordinary morning.

We talk about what makes stories stick with kids and why writing from the heart works better than forcing a prompt. Michelle shares the real-life inspiration behind “Grandpair,” including the way elders pass down values through simple storytelling, not lectures. We also explore the book’s core message: material souvenirs disappear, but the “souvenirs of the heart” last, especially moments like walking the beach before dawn, seeing your first sunrise, and feeling safe in a loved one’s hand.

Friendship and resilience come up in a big way too. Michelle explains why she wanted young readers to see that meaningful friendships can be instant, joyful, and sometimes temporary, and that endings can hurt without erasing what the friendship gave you. We also connect her writing to her visual art, from watercolor illustration to pet portrait commissions that help families hold onto love and memory.

If you care about children’s books, grandparent-grandchild bonding, storytelling in education, or raising resilient kids in a distracted world, this conversation will stay with you. Subscribe, share this with a parent or grandparent, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. Find Michelle’s book HERE Visit her WEBSITE 

Transcript

Meet Michelle Dahl And The Book

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Today we're joined by Michelle Dahl, a retired elementary school teacher turned children's author and artist. What started as a simple classroom writing exercise has grown into a beautifully expanded chapter book called A Walk with Grandpair, Mickey's Souvenirs. It's a story that captures the magic of childhood, family traditions, and the kind of memories that stay with us long after the vacation ends.

SPEAKER_03 0:26

Well, hello and welcome to the show, Michelle. Good morning. How are you today?

SPEAKER_04 0:31

I am wonderful. Thank you. It's a beautiful sunshiny day after the tornadoes went through on Friday. So we're feeling blessed and um excited for this. Thank you for having me.

Learning Storytelling From Grandpair

SPEAKER_03 0:43

Absolutely. It's such a joy. And I'm really excited to talk to you. One, because you're a children's book author, and two, um, because you you are a former elementary school teacher, which was something that I always kind of wanted to do, but I I it just it didn't happen. It didn't happen. I was a stay-at-home mom, and that counts, right? And I was a super volunteer in the elementary school for with my kids. So that was super fun. Um, but I I love I love your journey. I love reading about yours, and I'm so excited we get to share that with our audience. Um, first, so I want I I want to go back to that for a moment. You spent years as an elementary school teacher. What first sparked your love for storytelling?

SPEAKER_04 1:23

My grandpair. He was the ultimate storyteller, and he would gather all of us grandchildren at his feet on Sundays after dinner, and uh, we'd go to church, and then we'd go to my grandparents' home. And uh, that was the highlight of my weekend was to hear my grandfather's stories of when he was a child. And um, I always wanted to emulate him, I think, in my heart. I as a young child, I didn't realize it at the time, but as I grew older and writing seemed to come easy to me, even when I was going through elementary school. And um I had a teacher who really, I think, saw that in me and really kind of helped mold me. Um, and um, I just um tried to pay it forward with my own students once I was in a classroom too.

From Classroom Narrative To Chapter Book

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Yeah, there's so many parts of that that are so relatable to me that are so, I mean it's so relatable. I had the same uh love and relationship with my grandfather. My he was my uncle, so you know, everybody's got a little different. Um, but you know, and and yeah, so so relatable. I love that. Um, now here's what's really cool to me also. Your book started as a classroom project. Um, I I love that. How did a simple teaching tool turn into a full children's book? I think that's so wild. I love the spark.

SPEAKER_04 2:46

Well, never in my wildest dreams when I was in the classroom, did I believe I would be here um speaking with you about a full chapter book? Um I uh my fourth and fifth graders, because I did a multi-age program, which I had multiple ages in one um classroom, which I adored. I did that for years. Um, but it came to writing personal narrative, and I went right to the memories I had with my grandfather. And um, so I did a five-paragraph, you know, the formula, right? Of you know, teaching young kids. Um, and every single year I would use it. I might tweak it a little bit or add a little bit more embellishment or something. But every year I had at least one of my students say, Mrs. Doll, that would make a great book. And I tucked it in the back of my head, right? And oh, thank you, you're so kind, kind of a thing. Right. Um, but my first year of retirement, I sat in my living room twiddling my thumbs, going, okay, now what do I do? I'm still waking up at 5 30. I'm still, you know. I I wasn't sure what direction to go. And then I, you know, that memory came back to me of my students. Um, and I just came out to my studio that my husband built for me as a retirement present. And um I thought I would just get back into my art and painting and dabbling and that kind of thing. But I pulled out the um framework of that narrative. Um, because I save everything, so I still have all of my teaching stuff. Um, and um I just started um adding to it and from memory. And um, I even called my aunt, my dad's sister, and asked questions and you know, memory, you know, kind of things. And um it became a 36-page children's book. Wow. Um, and that started to get a little bit of um traction. But then I decided, you know what, there are so much more here. I just skimmed the surface, you know. And so then I just sat down again and and 36 pages became like 125. Oh awesome.

SPEAKER_03 5:02

Yeah. Oh, I love that. I love especially that your the your kids, your students were the ones saying this should be a book. How cool is that? Like that's really special. And I think that's also special in that uh as as a teacher, as you being a teacher, um, to them show you so many aspects of that are so special because one, it's it's teaching them, obviously, and showing them um that this is something that they could do. Um teaching was so good that they recognize good work, right?

SPEAKER_04 5:31

Oh well, thank you. And you know, I wanted to show them that when you write from the heart and you have a true connection to what you're writing, it kind of flows out of you a little easier rather than a formulated idea, like a prompt, you know. And I I got fabulous things back from them as well. You know, our writers' workshops were so much fun, meeting one-on-one and helping them, you know, mold their idea even stronger than they originally thought. And I ended up with uh a class usually very proud of what they did, you know.

Why Memories Outlast Souvenirs

SPEAKER_03 6:10

I love that, you know, as as a uh former Slacker student who actually only did well in her English composition courses. Any writing were the only ones I did well and excelled in. Um, I I so appreciate and value teachers like you that help bring that out of children who maybe didn't even know that they had that ability in them. So beautiful, beautiful. I love it. Um, tell me about Mickey's journey and what makes Mickey's story special for young readers.

SPEAKER_04 6:40

Well, I and I do this chapter book, I do say that it's for ages 10 and up. And basically, I mean, anybody could read it. I see it as a teacher reading it to their child her her students um in a circle time. I see uh grandparents reading it and connecting more with their grandchildren, um, a bonding moment, if you will, and even parents too. Um but it was um the way that I um wanted to kind of show people of all ages um that material things we forget about over time. Yeah, it's the souvenirs that are in our hearts that last. And my pair, my my grandpair um took the simplest moment. We were on a vacation at the beach, and the simplest moment became a lifelong memory for me that stuck with me and it was a quiet moment. He woke me up at like 4:30 in the morning, and I could, you know, hear and I could have easily said no, but the excitement of being seven years old and being the first time at the beach, and he was willing to let me go on a walk with him, um, and I saw my first sunrise. And I will never forget that.

SPEAKER_03 8:04

Yeah, that's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 8:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:07

And you're so right. Those, those really are our actual earthly treasures, the real treasures, the souvenirs, as you said, and of course, is in the title. And you know, and I I love I love how souvenirs is, you know, it's we all have our traditional mindset of what a souvenir is from places that you visit. Um, but I love the the idea, the imagery of uh of memories that you keep as souvenirs. And you're right, so much more valuable. And as you just proved, like that is something that has stuck with you your entire life. And, you know, and you just you don't know it at the time. So what a beautiful um gentle reminder to the reader. And I probably especially, you know, I love that this is written for children, um, but I think it's very impactful for the adults reading it with them, right? Alongside them, right? Exactly. That's the moment right in itself that one or both of them is gonna remember that you sat with this, your grandchild or your child, um, and you read this book together and you had this quiet moment. And I I love that. My husband's very good at pointing out moments. If if something quietly special is happening, he's the first one to say, hang on, hang on. We're having a moment. Exactly.

SPEAKER_04 9:20

Well, um, don't get me wrong, at seven years old, I still got all starry-eyed with the souvenirs in the window shop, which is in one of the chapters of the book. Um, and you know, all the grown-ups in my life, my father, my mother, you know, my grandparents were like, kind of, let's go. We'll we'll come back to that. We'll come back to that, you know. And I still wanted the the seashells, the stuffies, the t-shirts, the, you know, um, all those things, you know, and I don't even know where any of those are or where they ended up, you know. But yeah the the moment in time where I could see a sunrise that I had never seen, plus the impact of the ocean and the seagulls coming out for their breakfast in the morning, and you know, it just overwhelmed me. And I just I remember my grandfather taking my hand at the exact moment the sun was rising. And I at seven years old, I remember thinking, oh, I don't ever want to leave here, you know. Yeah, oh I can cry.

SPEAKER_03 10:26

That's so beautiful.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

I want I I wanted to somehow gently get that point across to children, especially, that you know, your elders have so much to offer you if you give them the chance, right? You know, um they have they have a lot of stories inside them that might really surprise you too.

SPEAKER_03 10:48

So yeah, it's that opportunity just to slow the world down. If we could just if we could just give uh the the youth that message, just stop rushing, stop hurrying to the next thing, just slow, slow the world down and in that moment, right? Oh I mean, if we could go back to so many moments in our life and just stretch them out, wouldn't that be just amazing?

SPEAKER_04 11:09

Oh definitely, definitely. And you know, even my own grandchildren, you know, like we were talking before, technology is wonderful and devices are meaningful and they can be used in so many wonderful ways. But to take appreciation of what God has made right here for us to enjoy the flowers, the, you know, the watching a seed grow into something that you can eat, you know. And so I make sure now it's my turn. I'm trying to emulate my grandfather. And, you know, my grandchildren help me make my garden. They, you know, um, I I really hope that they are, or maybe not at this moment because they're young, but um, but I do have teenage grandchildren too. And and now I am getting from them that, you know, oh, do you remember when we did this? So I'm feeling in my heart that when they are my age, that will be moments that they will remember.

SPEAKER_03 12:03

Oh yeah. And as you know from your own personal experience, those those memories and those moments, they actually deepen, you know. It it just becomes, I think as the more time goes on, the deeper meaning that each of those memories has. So if your teenage grandkids are are already acknowledging it and noticing it, it's just going to get bigger and bigger in their hearts as they get older. And, you know, again, that that is the treasure. That is the souvenir right there that they get to keep it.

SPEAKER_04 12:31

What a blessing. I want that for everybody. Anyone who picks up my book, I hope they have that connection, create that moment that is a lifelong, you know, memory. Um one of the things that um in um my on my Instagram page um for my book, um, there's uh a quote that it says, they won't remember the toys. They'll remember who held their hand, who showed them the sunrises, and who made ordinary days seem magical. Oh my goodness. Yes, that is the premise of my book. I just hope that, you know, without seeming too saccharin, you know, that is um, because you know, when it comes down to it, um, that's all we have. I mean, Stephen Curtis Chapman has a wonderful song that I listened to on repeat in my studio um that says that's love is really all we have left. When it comes down to it, we don't bring anything else with us, you know, and really we don't leave anything else behind, you know. It's it's the love that we and the connections that we make in our lifetime that mean the most. I that's how I feel anyway.

SPEAKER_03 13:43

Oh, right there with you. We just became best friends. I don't know if you knew that, but we just became best friends, and I will be over with my cup of coffee and we're gonna hang out, and it's gonna be so lovely. Anytime. I would love that. Oh, you're so sweet. I just I want to hang out in your in your studio. I mean, how cool is that? And kudos to the husband, by the way. Can we just side note? That's a great retirement gift right there.

SPEAKER_04 14:03

Oh, I love him dearly. He yeah, it was an old sheep barn that didn't even have a floor, and we never had sheep when we bought the farm. So um it it's it's lovely and it's a little echoey, so I hope that's okay. Totally fine. But it's perfect for me for you know, my dabbling in my paintings and um and for writing. It's quiet.

SPEAKER_03 14:26

So beautiful. I love it. And I believe those are your paintings behind you. Yes, they are pretty spectacular. Yeah, I love that. I can see them, I've been spying them as we're chatting. I love them so much. We'll talk a little bit more after that, uh, about that after too. I want to hear more about it.

SPEAKER_04 14:40

Go ahead. This one here is actually the beach that is in my book.

Friendship, Goodbyes, And Resilience

SPEAKER_03 14:46

Oh, oh, I love that. Oh, that's so precious. Oh my goodness. Oh um, speaking of the book, um, there's also a strong theme of friendship, which I think is also so valuable and important, especially in this kind of disconnected society that we live in. So I love that there's also that theme. Um, can you speak? I, you know, I don't want you to give away the whole book, of course. I'm sorry if I'm making you give away too many things. Um, but there's a part where uh Mickey meets Renee. And why was it important for you to include that?

SPEAKER_04 15:18

Because again, my audience at the time I was writing were children. We're, you know, all children of all ages, actually, but specifically, um, you know, seven to you know, early teen, those tween years, right? And friendships are so important to those ages. You know, I, you know, my seven-year-old granddaughter saying, Oh, my best friend and I, you know, and it it just warms my heart that she has found somebody who really connects at so many levels. Well, our my first summer at the beach, my um my grandfather was uh Canadian French from Quebec, and we happened to be in our cabin, and lo and behold, here comes a Quebec family. And so my grandfather made a huge connection with the parents, and so did my parents with them. And they had a daughter who was exactly my age, and her name was Renee. And she and I, it was like instant, you know. Um, we were silly together, we were um, and trying to ride a tandem bike, it was hilarious. We would have definitely won America's funniest videos. We it was hysterical. So, just for the humor part of it at the beginning of our friendship, um, and it was also a lesson in how to say goodbye when you've made such an instant connection and you don't know if you're gonna see each other again. You hope, you know, and we ended up seeing each other again for quite a few years until her family had to move. And and even though I was older when they did move, it was hard for her to break that news to me. And then also finding that, you know, we're we're going separate ways, and we actually did lose contact. And you know, it it but that is life, right? We we people come into our life for different reasons and different seasons, and I wanted children to understand that that you can have a strong connection, and it's okay if you do maybe lose contact. You have that souvenir in your heart, you have that memory, and you just take that forward with your next friendship, and hopefully it will be beautiful and maybe even longer lasting. Um, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 17:42

Yeah, I I especially love that because one of the societal issues when it comes to raising children right now is that we think we have to buffer them from everything and protect them from, you know, we wrap them in bubble wrap and try and protect them from any kind of hurt or discomfort or anything. And, you know, what a valuable lesson that is to say, like, you know, you can have something wonderful, a friendship, a love, whatever the case is, and it can end, and that can be okay. Let the hurt and the sadness can be okay. It's part of it, and you'll be okay after. And I think that's such a beautiful um lesson to pass on to them. So I love that you included that in your writing. It's so wonderful.

SPEAKER_04 18:27

Well, I, you know, I I want children to learn early on how to be resilient adults too. Yeah. You know, um it's so hard enough being an adult. Um but if we we have those moments in our childhood where we can say, you know what, that was hard, but I got through it.

SPEAKER_00 18:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 18:46

You know, it kind of I think it accumulates as we grow um over time. And and then hopefully you become stronger and are able to weather even bigger storms later on.

Art, Illustrations, And Pet Portraits

SPEAKER_03 18:57

Absolutely. Um, tell me a little bit, I want to bounce back real quick uh to your artwork. Did do you find that your art and writing and writing um tie in? Like you have, you mentioned the painting of the beach from you know from your childhood. Do you did your painting and your writing tie in together or are they just like completely separate entities for you?

SPEAKER_04 19:19

Um this sounds silly, but yes and no. I I did do this painting with my book in mind, um, just because it was so fresh in my mind. And the lighthouse that we were near um was a huge um also had a huge impact in me. It became kind of like the anchor of like, you know, for our family to go to and, you know, at night on walks and things like that. Um so yeah, there are times when my writing does kind of end up in visual form. Um, and in my 36-page book, I did do all the illustrations as well in watercolor. Um, and I thought this time, uh, I I didn't know how I wanted the layout. So the um the publisher and I worked together on on how to do that through a chapter book. You know, I I knew there weren't there weren't going to be as many illustrations and stuff. So um, but I am predominantly a pet portrait artist.

SPEAKER_03 20:22

Oh, that's so cool. I see I see some of them in the background.

SPEAKER_04 20:25

I love that. Yeah, yeah. And those are just mine for fun. Those are three-dimensional. I have some clay embellishments on there and stuff, but I do a lot of commissions for people who I just recently did one for our pastor at church who he and his wife lost their lovely little dog. And um he texted me the other morning. Um, his daughter commissioned the painting as a surprise for them. And um, he texted me the other morning and said, Oh, I just wanted to reach out to you and thank you. I talk to Bailey every morning. And this is why I do it, because again, the memories, right? So I guess in every pet portrait, there's memories.

SPEAKER_03 21:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 21:04

And so I guess that is the tie-in to my book. Yeah. Um, because people, I mean, people that want a painting of their dog, um, whether it's because they just adopted it or um it's just become a new member of the family or as a memorial, um, they're family. They aren't just dogs or cats. So um, yeah, I that is more of what I do um as far as painting. But I love I I love flowers too. So every once in a while, just for fun, I'll do a floral or you know, botanical thing.

SPEAKER_03 21:39

Doesn't it just feel so good to have that paintbrush in your hand? Like I have I have very little skill, but I I paint just for fun, just for relaxing. Like I'm not doing anything with it, like I don't have the skill to do anything with it. But I love the minute that paintbrush is in hand, it's just so happy.

SPEAKER_04 21:57

Oh, and exactly. I mean, all my stress just melts away. I put on my music and I just I I lose track of time. I don't even realize how long I'm in in this you know studio, you know. Um because it does feel so good and it it's it's a bit cathartic, you know, if I've had any kind of stressful you know day or week or whatever. Um to come back in here and and paint is is just it's me time, you know. But I don't believe that, you know, well first of all painting should be just for fun. I mean if if you're if it's if it loses its desire to be fun, then it just put it that put the paintbrush down for a minute, you know, and and walk away. And that's what I was worried about doing commissions because I over Christmas time I usually get quite a few and I thought oh then it becomes a little laborious you know um but I still find the joy in it because when the people receive it and they they love it that's that's when it it matters to me you know um but I I believe the fact that you love to paint you are probably doing wonderful things so again my daughter thinks so my daughter thinks so my daughter's like mom you can paint stuff for me you can paint stuff in my she's a stylist you can paint stuff for me like honey it's not it's I I I love you for thinking that I'm good enough to do that but thank you.

Sequels, New Books, And Family Roots

SPEAKER_03 23:24

We are our own worst critics I think we are I you know Michelle I have to tell you throughout this entire interview um the one thing that shines through you so much is just this beautiful heart and I it's so beautiful to see when somebody like you keeps putting beautiful things out in the world for other people to enjoy so I just have to say that to you and it's it's so wonderful. And of course it leads me to ask you the very most important well it's not the most important question but say important what else is in store for you? Do you plan on writing more books? Is this like I I know this is taking a very center stage for you because you have these wonderful visions and plans for it but are there more books on the on the side table back burner for you?

SPEAKER_04 24:09

Yeah yes as a matter of fact there is a sequel to a walk with grandpa um that um is kind of in the works I'm still mulling a lot around in my mind um but um there's that coming and then I also have three other grandparents that I have yeah skeletal outlines of moments that just I just can't um you know ever forget there it was they shaped me you know they you know I you flatter me with you know saying I have such a big heart well so did they and I think it was just how back in the 60s I was raised you know to to put other people first to um you know and I had an idyllic childhood and didn't even realize it and and I think that's why your segment called um a different kind of wealth just resonated with me because we were not well off at all but I didn't realize that I mean I never wanted my brother or I never wanted for anything. And it wasn't until later I realized it was the village of my grandparents and my parents and you know that that really helped my brother and I just have this most wonderful child you know I told you we're we're best friends.

SPEAKER_03 25:30

I I told you it's so similar in in those experiences. It's it's amazing and um I I'm personally excited not only for this book for but for all the future ones because I I'm going to be sharing these with with my daughters and and my grandchildren and everyone it's um what a treasure what a wonderful gift um to give to hint hint folks watching and listening.

SPEAKER_04 25:54

Thank you so much just a little just to whet your appetite a little bit the next um different totally different book um based on one of my experiences with my Italian grandmother my family is a melting pot um is spaghetti on sundays is the name of it. So I think it'll be funny too it'll be funny.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Yeah oh I love I'm so excited for you oh my God I came and stand it I'm so excited for you um tell everyone where they can find your book uh where they can find you if there's a website any art shows coming up anything you go ahead and tell them where to find everything and anything. Thank you absolutely I appreciate that um my author's website is MichelleDahlbooks.com and it is actually an interactive website so bring your kiddos along when you're checking it out parents and grandparents because there's pages from the story um that they can download and color um there's crafts um from um making seashell jewelry um to um uh just sand art and all different kinds of things I wanted it I think that's a teacher in me I wanted it interactive for the children too um and then on um you can find me on Instagram at MDALArt beautiful yeah oh my goodness thank you so much I can't wait to visit your website I want to go do some things on there I love that yeah um and you can purchase the book from there too oh perfect perfect okay and guys I will be putting the uh links in the show notes for you so you'll be able to just write from the show you'll be able to click right on it and go straight to it right right uh after I mean wait till the interview is done guys don't go clicking away right now hold on we're not done hold on um but yes it will be in the show notes guys so you'll be able to click on it and head right over there and uh and have some fun bringing the kiddos. We almost forgot I'm on Amazon too. You can find it on Amazon too. Perfect perfect so every base is covered. I love it. It's brilliant. Oh my goodness Michelle it was such a joy talking to you I'll be over your house after this might be just a little plane ride to get there but it's no worries no worries. Thank you. I'm curious where are you located? I'm in New England yeah so yeah and you are not if you were getting hit with some tornadoes you are not I moved from upstate New York to where I was born and raised to Illinois after my husband and I met and married.

SPEAKER_04 28:19

So I've been out here for about 30 years but all my family is still back in upstate New York.

SPEAKER_03 28:24

Oh nice so that's relatively close to where I am a little bit of a drive but now you're a little bit further so bummer but that's okay we'll make it work.

SPEAKER_04 28:32

Like how I just invited myself over oh I love that I love that I it's just so comfortable to speak with you and I I really want to thank you again for having me.

SPEAKER_03 28:41

It was a delight. So thank you thank you so much and guys thank you for watching we will catch you in the next episode I hope you enjoyed this and more importantly I hope you click on that link and go check out Michelle's book.

SPEAKER_01 28:52

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SPEAKER_00 29:10

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