For families
Read Together. Wander Together.
Resources, ideas, and little adventures for families who love Willowmere.
Stories are better shared.
Tales of Willowmere was made for the moments between bedtime and sleep — when a child leans in close, and a story becomes a world you enter together. These pages are for the families who want to linger a little longer in Willowmere.
Below you'll find read-aloud tips, conversation starters, printable activities, and ideas for bringing the spirit of Willowmere into your home.
Read-aloud guide
Tips for Reading Aloud
A few ideas to make story time feel like an occasion.
Slow down
Willowmere is a place that rewards unhurried reading. Pause at the illustrations. Let the pictures breathe before turning the page.
Use different voices
Dog is warm and a little cautious. Duck is bright and enthusiastic. Even a subtle difference in tone helps children feel who is speaking.
Ask questions as you go
"What do you think Dog is feeling right now?" or "Have you ever felt like Duck in this moment?" — small questions open big conversations.
Let them predict
Before turning a page, ask what they think will happen next. Children love being right — and love being surprised even more.
Read it again
Children often want the same story many times. Each re-reading reveals something new. That's not repetition — that's deepening.
Make it a ritual
The same lamp, the same chair, the same beginning. Ritual turns story time into something a child carries into adulthood.
Conversation starters
Things to Talk About
Gentle questions to open up after the story.
"What was your favourite moment in the story, and why?"
"If you lived in Willowmere, where would you like to spend the afternoon?"
"Dog and Duck are very different. What do you think makes them such good friends?"
"Have you ever met someone unexpected who became important to you?"
"If you could send a letter to Dog or Duck, what would you say?"
Activities
Things to Make and Do
Simple activities inspired by the world of Willowmere.
Draw Your Own Willowmere
Invite your child to draw their own version of Willowmere — the pond, the willow, the stone bridge, the cottage. There are no wrong answers. Every Willowmere is the right one.
Write a Letter from Dog or Duck
Ask your child to write (or dictate) a short letter as if they were Dog or Duck — describing a day in Willowmere, or telling a friend about something they discovered.
A Willowmere Nature Walk
Take a slow walk somewhere green. Look for things Dog or Duck might notice — a pond, a bridge, a tree with drooping branches, a flower growing in an unexpected place.
Make a Story Map
Together, draw a map of the places in the story. Add your own invented locations — a bakery, a hidden meadow, a place only Dog knows about. Maps make worlds feel real.
A note for parents
Why Willowmere Matters
These stories were created in the belief that childhood doesn't need to move quite so fast. That there is still room — and real value — in a story about a dog and a duck, a pond and a bridge, a morning that turns out to be more than it seemed.
Willowmere is not an escape from the world. It is a reminder of what the world can feel like when we slow down enough to notice it. That is something worth giving a child.
Think. Create. Dream. Willowmere will be waiting.
— Jerry Lee Pfeister
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