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The Patch Primary School stages Willow the Wonderer: Inspirational storybooks for schools
The Patch Primary School's production of Willow the Wonderer (Photo Credit: The Patch Primary School) A story too good not to share It's not everyday that a lifelong educator - and her entire school - gets behind your storybooks . So , I thought I'd share this wonderful story with our community. Writing this reminded me, like I hope it does you, of 'that teacher': The one who went the extra mile and made all the difference to your life. Enter Stage Left : Debra Herrmann

Reeta Dhar
Feb 14, 20247 min read


Ufos and Picasso's dirty dishes: What inspired the art in our new picture book, Space Odyssey
"There is no such thing as the unknown, only things temporarily hidden." Captain James T. Kirk Creativity is a messy business Enter Francis Bacon , not the sizzling breakfast kind but the icon in the artistic pantheon. He didn’t cover up the blemishes on his canvas; instead, he transformed the errant strokes into unsung heroes of the composition. He once said, "And sometimes when I've been working I've been so disgusted by it that I grab the brush and put brush marks all ove

Darren Pryce
Dec 3, 20238 min read


New Willow the Wonderer picture books review by Counsellor Sian
Most of you are no doubt familiar with Counsellor Sian. Her original book review of Willow the Wonderer series is the stuff of legends, having reached over half a million folks across Australia! Sian is a registered therapeutic counsellor and has a private practice in QLD . She brings over a decade of experience in the field and a passion to help people find peace in their world. We were keen to hear what Sian made of our new Willow the Wonderer book - Space Odyssey - so

Reeta Dhar
Nov 25, 20233 min read


A space adventure book that teaches kids about belonging, connection and empathy
Willow the Wonderer: Space Odyssey Space Odyssey has officially launched - and with that our Willow the Wonderer picture book series is now three books strong. As I pen this blog, many books are already on their way to little wonderers all around Australia. A brand new addition to their Willow the Wonderer collection and hopefully, repertoire of life's wisdom. It's all the stuff that celebrations are made of but getting into a celebratory mood this past week was not possible

Reeta Dhar
Oct 20, 202310 min read


Willow the Wonderer picture books are stories about wisdom and knowledge. Here's why.
Wise As Stories is unique amongst publishers world wide for a number of reasons, the most important of which is that we are creating stories that plant seeds of wisdom and knowledge. It is why Darren and I started Wise As Stories and produced and published Willow the Wonderer picture book series - and it's what keep us going. In this blog I wanted to share with you the backstory to this mission we've taken on. I've shared this in past blogs (here's the link to another ) b

Reeta Dhar
Jun 13, 202311 min read


Discover the perfect early years learning books
An early childhood educator, Reshmi Gosai, recently came across our Willow the Wonderer picture book series. Excited by the possibilities that the book presented in engaging the little ones in her childcare centre (one of whom is aptly named Willow) in learning, she immediately snapped up one of our premium giftsets featuring the two picture books and a gorgeous plush toy of little Willow. They were the perfect early years learning books! Reshmi shared her report on how she

Reeta Dhar
Feb 20, 20232 min read


Give the gift of wisdom this holiday season : Children's picture books with seeds of wisdom
The final month of the year has commenced and if things haven't already, they will start to wind down soon as we wrap-up on another year of toil and head into the holiday season. For many families, this would be the first time in two years that they are gathering again for Christmas! It seems a lot of folks started preparing early this year; we started receiving orders for Christmas from late October and saw it continue all the way through November. Hoorah to the uber prepare

Reeta Dhar
Dec 1, 20221 min read


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


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
Blog: Quote
“Light a campfire and everyone's a storyteller"
John J Geddes
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