WTBA is a collection of and conversation about powerful books that strengthen, elevate, inspire and help to grow powerful, resilient kids. We're a book oriented guide for parents, grandparents, educators, aunts, uncles and anyone involved in nurturing children and caring for friends.
It’s entirely possible that somewhere a little one is reading their Grandparent’s childhood copy of Dogger. First published in 1977, the story is almost 40 years old – and it’s still fresh and lively and entirely relatable. The story is well known and well loved and so hardly needs recounting here. Just in case, though …
ages 2 to 8 years
Dogger is a soft toy dog who is very special to his owner Dave – he’s
Read MoreSet in France. This is a wonderfully crafted story that is full of love, joy and humour, just a little tension, and a triumphant ending. A charming French mouse does all he can to care for his family and to help the hands that feed him - even when he is met with scorn.
ages 1 to 9 years
ages 0 to 5 years old
DEAR ZOO... Surprises and fun on every page, just add animal noises. A funny book that is essentially every child's dream—a zoo sends a crazy array of animals for the child to try out as a pet.
A well-loved classic, A Very Hungry Caterpillar follows the cycle from egg to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly, eating through an impressive amount of food! It's a great book for talking about life cycle, for early counting and for food identification. And because it's so popular, there's an abundance of Hungry Caterpillar themed activities to keep the fun going.
ages newborn to about 6 years
ages newborn to early childhood
In our house at least, Big Red Barn is a bedtime book. It’s the softly told story of farm animals bedding down for the night ... lovely, calming and reassuring. And elevating.
ages 4 years to grownups
A charming and incredibly pretty book about a woman who commits as a child to go to faraway places, live beside the sea and do something to make the world more beautiful. It's loved and used a lot by teachers, with good reason. It does a lot of work!
ages 4 years to grownup
Set in Europe, this is one of my absolute favourite books. It's a book to give perspective to small bingles and it's a book to plant notions of empathy, courage, and resilience in children. Definitely one to have in your home library, Let the Celebrations BEGIN! speaks across a wide range of age groups and relates to so many sets of circumstances.
A conversation about books + kids. A website resource and book reviews for educators, parents, grandparents. The main focus is emotional resilience.
