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Early Childhood Learning Hub: Explore Creative Writing
Teachers and early childhood educators who have recently bought our Willow the Wonderer picture books are telling us they love using it in class! Encouraged by their feedback we are developing a series of teaching guides to accompany the books. These will cover the basics like developing literacy and numeracy skills to more advanced subjects such as creative writing, art, folk literature, poetic rhythm and meter, and of course explore the philosophy and wisdom of happiness.

Reeta Dhar
Apr 6, 20223 min read
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Early Childhood Learning: Teach kids to count and read effortlessly
Teachers and early childhood educators who have recently bought our Willow the Wonderer picture books are telling us they love using it in class! Encouraged by their feedback we are developing a series of teaching guides to accompany the books. These will cover the basics like developing literacy and numeracy skills to more advanced subjects such as creative writing, art, folk literature, poetic rhythm and meter, and of course explore the philosophy and wisdom of happiness.

Reeta Dhar
Mar 27, 20222 min read
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What inspires the stories in my picture books? Sometimes it's other storytellers.
It's a lazy, rainy Sunday and although the country is out of lockdowns, it seems the habit to stay at home has stuck. On days like this when the motivation to do one's own work is non-existent, lying back watching an inspiring creation from another is usually the best fix. Something thought provoking, artistic and endearing is what the soul needs on days like these. The problem is that finding quality content can be a pain ... I can personally attest to having spent more time

Reeta Dhar
Nov 7, 20213 min read
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Media Release: Wise As Stories launches debut picture book series, Willow the Wonderer
Introducing an #UnlikelyHero with industry-first initiatives 21st October 2021 Debut title Wise As Stories is thrilled to announce the launch of their debut title, Willow the Wonderer , an enchanting tale about the search for happiness written by Reeta Dhar and Illustrated by Darren Pryce. The new picture book is written in rhyme with beautifully crafted imagery that draws young readers in to seek out and count the many creatures Willow encounters on his adventures. It's perf

Reeta Dhar
Oct 22, 20213 min read
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How to create beautiful illustrations - for picture books and much more
Willow the Wonderer, a story about a child's innocent search for happiness, had been incubating in my head for well over two decades. I would think about it mostly when I was looking up at clouds, forms would appear in them and then disappear as the wind reformed the shapes. I wanted to create a picture book that would not only look good and engage children but would incorporate this idea. What was most important to me, however, was that the book plant a seed of wisdom in a

Darren Pryce
Jun 22, 20215 min read
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The craft of writing 'wise as' picture books : Five essential ingredients
When Darren and I started working on our first picture book, Willow the Wonderer , we did not have any aspirations to start our own publishing company ... Our 'COVID project' had begun simply with a shared desire to 'create stories we wish we'd grown up with'. What sort of stories? 'Beautiful stories that plant a seed of wisdom.' As we near the launch of our debut picture book, we share a retrospective on the five ingredients that make for great 'wise as' stories. 1. Wisdom f

Reeta Dhar
May 18, 202110 min read
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Willow the Wonderer children's books are modern-day fables: Why I love this enduring form of folk literature
Fables are found in every culture around the world and goes as far back as the collective human memory serves. Most if not all of us have at least heard of one growing up. Remember the Hare and the Tortoise - 'slow and steady wins the race' ? What I never imagined was that one day, with the publication of my first picture book, Willow the Wonderer, I would become a modern-day 'fabulist'! So what are fables? The short definition that comes up from a google search - " a short s

Reeta Dhar
Apr 28, 20217 min read
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Blog: Quote
“Light a campfire and everyone's a storyteller"
John J Geddes
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