On November 14, 2017, my nephew Beau was born. I remember walking into the hospital room and meeting him for the first time, immediately bursting into tears.
I felt a love inside my chest that I had never felt before.
Auntie Love.
In that moment I thought of all of the things I wanted to teach him and all the places I wanted to show him.
The main thing I wanted to show him and tell him and teach him about - was travel. The biggest passion of my life.
I imagined giving him this special book that could inspire him from a young age to develop a connection with travel and the magic it can bring into your life. I imagined writing a note on the inside cover telling him to never stop dreaming and always keep your heart and mind open to new friends, new experiences, and new travels.
I thought about the children’s books that were gifted to me as a baby from aunties, uncles, close friends, and grandparents, and how I still hold those books so close to my heart, even now as a grown woman.
The very thought of my nephew looking back on a book about traveling the world I gave him as a young child made my heart warm and my smile wide.
And so, I went in search of that book I had imagined.
I found kids' travel atlases.
I found books about airplanes and trains.
I found one-word-per-page board books about several global destinations.
But none of the books that I found could harness the passion for travel that I wanted to share with him.
So, I decided to write one.
Soon after, Wally The Wandering Wallaby was born - a curious creature who wanders the globe in search of new experiences and new friends with a wide-open heart and mind. This 8-country around the world adventure takes children to Australia, Thailand, Japan, Italy, France, Tanzania, Mexico, and Peru where they can learn about the world’s many different cultures while experiencing the joy and magic of travel.
Now that is something I am excited to share with my nephew!