What is a good gift for grandchildren?
- Reeta Dhar
- Sep 16
- 6 min read
We recommend gifting your young grandchildren our Willow the Wonderer Gift Sets. Willow the Wonderer gift sets feature our beautiful picture books and a bespoke character plush toy of little Willow, a baby donkey in a retro onesie. All this arrives nicely packaged in a custom box and is also gift wrapped to save you the trouble. You can choose between Gift Sets featuring the complete collection of books in hardcover or paperback, as well as customisable gift sets where you get to create your own gift sets with any one, two or three hardcover storybooks. Kids who love storybooks will absolutely enjoy them and for those who need a little more encouragement to listen or read during storytime, our cute plush toy will no doubt help to engage their attention. But what makes this the perfect gift for grandkids? Because Willow the Wonderer books are wonderful stories of high adventure that help with early childhood learning while planting seeds of wisdom -- timeless and universal insights on life and living. They really are a gift of wisdom -- the perfect gift for grandparents to give to their grandchildren :)
Overview of Willow the Wonderer picture book series : the perfect gift for grandchildren
If you are new to Willow the Wonderer series, here's a short overview.
Willow the Wonderer are a picture book series from debut children's book author, Reeta Dhar and internationally acclaimed illustrator, Darren Pryce. They started working on these books from a shared desire to create stories which they wish they'd read growing up.
As many readers have discovered over the years, Willow the Wonderer is more than just picture books -- They are a treasure trove of life lessons wrapped in enchanting stories that educate and entertain in equal measure.
Willow is an endearing little donkey who is deeply curious about life. He sets off on epic quests to unravel life's mysteries and discover its wonders and wisdom. Written in rhyme with exquisite illustrations, they sweep young readers away on fantastical adventures through the natural world. Each captivating tale is also designed with a specific early learning goal in mind - whether it be learning numbers, colour and even astronomy.
What are Willow the Wonderer stories about?
There are currently four books in the series - the fifth and final one is due for release in November 2025 (not long to go!). Here is a short synopsis on each of the books in the series
Book 1 : Willow the Wonderer
Willow the Wonderer wakes up one morning wondering about happiness and where does it lay. He visits many wonderous places and discovers many marvellous creatures but the happiness he was looking for eludes him. As he reflects on his day he has an epiphany - and finally understands where happiness comes from.
The early learning goal in this book is counting, although it feels more like playing a game of 'hide and seek' as the creatures to be counted are hidden away in the landscape!
Book 2: Willow the Wonderer - Honey Time
Willow the Wonderer wakes up bursting with infinite ideas for adventure and play. He wonders how he can fit it all in and decides to go ‘hard and fast’, creating an almighty ruckus! The Queen Bee stages an intervention to teach our young hero a brand new lesson; one that opens up his eyes to the wonders of the natural world and gives him greater insight into happiness.
The early learning goal in this book is learning the many natural and creative expressions of colour. These are poetically depicted in the rhymes and exquisitely brought to life in the illustrations.
Book 3: Willow the Wonderer - Space Odyssey
Willow the Wonderer feels alone one day and wonders why he is different from others everywhere. He sets off to search for other creatures like him but alas, only sees things that are different some way. As he is about to give up, he gets beamed up into space! Willow travels through space and time taking in the beauty, strength and fragility of the Earth. As he looks back at the Earth, a profound wisdom dawns upon him - the same wisdom that has dawned upon many astronauts before him. Willow finally realises that which makes us all the same and also connected to each other. It even makes him feel at peace with being a little different.
The early learning goal in this book is to introduce the fantastic science of astronomy to our young readers.
Book 4: Willow the Wonderer - The Gift
Willow the Wonderer finds himself lost in the high mountains one day. As the mist clears, a mysterious fox appears and offers to be his guide for as long as he needs her. Willow and Fox encounter steep mountain trails, windy passes and frightening cliffs. As fear and dread take hold of Willow, Fox shares the gift of her wisdom – the certainty that in the end all things will pass. But will that knowledge be enough for our little hero to overcome the challenges he faces? The Gift offers a valuable lesson in resilience - the need to keep going even when the going gets hard, assured in the wisdom that all things comes to pass.
The early learning goal in this book is to introduce young readers through the rich poetic language to similes and metaphors.
Book 5: Willow the Wonderer - Inner Worlds
Willow the Wonderer wakes up one day to find a menacing grey cloud hovering over his head. The cloud follows him around everywhere, dampening his spirit and sucking his joy. He tries everything to escape the cloud, but it won’t leave him alone! Willow finally decides to peek inside the cloud and find out what is going on. Little did Willow know, as he took that first step within, a lifelong adventure was about to being …
Inner Worlds is the fifth book in the Willow the Wonderer series. This surreal tale offers an insight into the workings of the mind and introduces readers, young and old, to a practical way of dealing with difficult memories and emotions. This may not be a formal early learning goals in our standard education curriculums, but we really think it ought to be ...
Inner Worlds will be released on November 11th 2025 - So not too long to go. Once out, all our books and gift sets will be updated to feature all five books - noting that you can easily insert this book into existing gift sets, as there is space/provision for it already :)
Why buy the Gift Set?
As much as we all would love all our kids to sit and read, not all littles ones gravitate towards books, even if they all enjoy being told stories. Either way, it's important that children get used to sitting, listening and paying attention, especially as they get to a school age. Reading them stories at home is a great way to train them and for those that need some extra encouragement, a cute plush toy tends to do wonders to engage the attention.
We have had many positive reviews from grandparents who have purchased the giftset and loved how their grandchildren embrace their little Willow while listening to the stories -- it has even become the toy of choice for bedtime hugs :) And yes, I am smiling as I type out these words.
We even have teachers use them in schools and pre-schools.
You can read all the reviews from verified buyers of our Willow the Wonderer books, toys and gift sets here with these and other anecdotes to share.
Why is Willow the Wonderer the perfect gift for grandparents to give to grandkids?
By the time one becomes a grandparent, they have no doubt seen and experienced the many facets of life. With this life experience comes wisdom, and traditionally it has been the responsibility of grandparents to pass this wisdom down to future generations. Throughout human history, such wisdom and knowledge was transmitted through the oral tradition of storytelling.
In our modern era, storytime with the grandkids provides the opportunity to transmit this wisdom. Reading together is also a wonderful way to bond - why every parent and grandparent isn't doing this already is beyond me ...
Willow the Wonderer books engage the little ones in stories of high adventure through a combination of melodious rhymes and beautifully detailed illustrations. All the stories also have a seed of wisdom woven within them. These are timeless, universal insights on life and living that you'd find in philosophical and contemplative literature. Put another way, Willow the Wonderer books convey life's lesson.
This is why we say Willow the Wonderer is 'a gift of wisdom'. What could be a more perfect gift for a grandparent to give to a grandchild?
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