Joy's Keychain

Inspired by real family journeys across New Zealand, China, and Korea, Joy's Keychain is a tender picture book about distance, belonging, and the love that helps children stay steady across homes. When Joy uses her special keychain to open three magical doors in her living room, she discovers that the people and places she misses are still part of her world.

Gentle, imaginative, and emotionally resonant, this story opens conversations about family bonds, change, longing, and what it means to carry home within you. Informed by ideas of attachment, belonging, and children's experiences of ambiguous loss in transnational and multicultural families, Joy's Keychain offers a warm and accessible language for talking about separation, memory, and continuing bonds.

Who this book is for

• Third Culture Kids and globally mobile families
• Children aged 3-8, and the adults who read with them
• Teachers, counsellors, and classrooms exploring identity and belonging