DJ and the Flood

The true story of Mark O’Toole’s helicopter evacuation during the February 2022 Northern Rivers floods in Australia was well-publicised good news amidst the devastation. Mark was forced to leave behind his daughter’s panic-stricken dog DJ, and returned to search for him five days later though believing him to be dead. But their successful reunion was only the start; this book gives the full story in picture book form, with an accompanying digital handbook written in partnership with a clinical psychologist. The trauma affecting all flood victims, human and animal, continues long after the news cycle moves on. Reading this book together allows supportive adults to help children explore a traumatic experience through DJ’s eyes, so that they feel validated in their enduring fears. It provides hope that their sense of loss and their ongoing behavioural glitches will get better with time, understanding and a little courage – just like DJ.