Just as we thought we were over the worst, the next wave of COVID starts and we find ourselves in another indefinite lockdown or in my case lockout... The impact of health orders being issued on the largest population and business centres of our county has widespread social and economic impacts - where one lives almost doesn't matter. Getting restless and agitated at times like these is unavoidable it seems, and as I saw the launch plan of our new business and picture book go

Reported by the Macleay Argus The Macleay Argus covered our first ever 'Willow the Wonderer' story-time with the beautiful community at the Crescent Head Playgroup a few weeks ago. The playdate came about rather serendipitously. We contacted our first customer - ever - Susan Snape to see if we could hand deliver her two advance copies of Willow the Wonderer. Much to our delight the delivery turned into story time at the Crescent Head Playgroup where Susan is the secretary.

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

I grew up in the Fiji Islands - and yes, it was as idyllic as it sounds. Balmy climate, ripe mangoes straight off the trees, fresh fish, prawns and lobster ... I could go on. But if I had to choose, my best childhood memories revolve around the time when school holidays were ending and it was time to return back to school! Why? Because that was the only time in the years when we'd receive new (well newish) books. Here's a look back at those wonderful times and an ode to the w

Darren and I share a guilty pleasure ... the love of UFOs. Yes, we've listened to the podcasts, seen the documentaries and wondered (maybe even hoped) that they are real. With the Pentagon recently coming out and confirming the existence of UFOs , it feels that Ufologists world over are finally being vindicated. Although presence of UFOs does not automatically mean that we are being visited by alien civilisations, it remains a possibility - and it is that possibility that is

Reported by ABC Radio Mid North Coast Darren Pryce with his Archibald 100 entry, The Meeting (Photo credit: Simon Cardwell) Darren Pryce, co-founder of Wise As Stories, was interviewed by the ABC Radio Mid North Coast for his Archibald Prize portrait of Brittany Higgins . Darren took a non traditional approach to the portrait, portraying Brittany Higgins in the much anticipated meeting with the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. ​ In the interview Darren talked through the pre

Reported by the Age and SMH Darren Pryce with his Archibald 100 entry, The Meeting (Photo credit: Simon Cardwell) Darren Pryce, co-founder of Wise As Stories , is an award-winning illustrator and an innovative artist. His latest contribution to the artscape in Australia is a neo-classical portrait of Brittany Higgins for the Archibald Prize, now in it's 100th year. ​ Darren's motivation for painting Brittany Higgins was to give voice to women who have been silenced by the pat

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

My answer is not going to win me any high-browed critical acclaim and it doesn't matter. This one is straight from the inner-child's heart. My pick would be 'The Enchanted Wood' by Enid Blyton. The Enchanted Woods The Enchanted Wood is one of the first 'big books' I remember reading at the tender age of about eight. It sparked my imagination and made me yearn for a magical new world like nothing had done before. The story is built around the adventures of three little kids

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

Reported by Channel Seven News 2020 was already a year full of twists and turns and for children's books author and co-founder of Wise As Stories , Reeta Dhar, but life had a few more curveballs to serve. ​ What started as a mild cough whilst she was working on her first picture book, Willow the Wonderer , became a fixture in her life towards the end of 2020, impacting her speech. ​ A series of diagnostics and consultations later doctors confirmed she had a growth in her left

I am currently on the first ‘gap year’ of my life. It has turned out to be quite ‘the gap’ as thanks to COVID, I’ve had to shelve all my plans as it all involved travel! I started to work on other projects close to my heart instead. Most days I find myself happily self-employed in these but from time-to-time I feel a sense of utter restlessness and discontent set in. It is during one such ‘episode’ that I penned this article, in real-time, as I worked through my restless mind

When we first decided to started working on Willow the Wonderer, it felt utterly natural to us to write it in verse. In fact the premise of the whole story had come into Darren's mind decades ago in the form of a rhyme: Willow the wonderer Woke up one day Wondering about happiness And where it lay. But to bring this to the world, we soon realised we'd need to start our own children's publishing company. Here's the backstory. When we first began to write our first picture book

The parent and child relationship is as primordial as it gets. It's one that shapes and influences our lives right to the very end and like every other relationship, it has its ups and downs - remember your teens? It's also not uncommon for many to have fraught relationships with their parents right into adulthood, and at some level harbour resentment and blame for where we find ourselves in life and the 'lack' that we may feel. The truth that we all realise at some stage i

Amazon has long been hailed as the saviour for self-publishing authors, providing access to not only a huge marketplace to sell books but also to a complete range of publishing, printing and logistics services. It was only we delved into the 'economics' of it all that it felt more akin to daylight robbery ... As we worked through the plans for launching our first book, Willow the Wonderer , it became obvious to us that ignoring the conventional wisdom on the internet was the