28/08/2026
Mel, a SaLT and Makaton Tutor we used to work with has written a book designed to target specific language concepts - check it out - Melanie Wallace
📚🐰 From Worksop to Bookshelves: One Mum’s Inspiring Journey to Help Children Find Their Voice 💙✨
Melanie Wallace, a Speech and Language Therapist from Worksop has turned an idea born from reading with her daughter into a published children’s book that is now helping young children develop their communication skills.
Working as the Clinical Lead Speech and Language Therapist for Rotherham Learning Disabilities Service, she often found herself searching for books that focused on specific language concepts. But time and again, the book she had in mind simply didn’t exist.
"I had the initial idea when reading books with my daughter. I often tried searching for books online that target specific language concepts, but often what I had in mind didn’t exist."
Rather than giving up on the idea, Melanie decided to create the book herself. 🌟
What began as a spark of inspiration quickly became a passion project. Researching how to write, publish and produce a children’s book became a positive creative outlet, replacing hours that might otherwise have been spent scrolling on social media.
"I switched my usual doomscrolling time to research and create the book. I think this was really healthy for me and it was nice to have a new focus and creative outlet." 😊
Although writing the story itself was the quickest part, bringing the book to life was a learning experience. She taught herself the world of self-publishing, from purchasing ISBN numbers and barcodes to sourcing the right printer. Determined to create a sturdy board book that could withstand curious little hands, she faced the challenge of finding a specialist printer. She also collaborated with an illustrator based in Indonesia, navigating the added hurdle of different time zones. 🌍🎨
The result is Let’s Find Betsy Bunny, a colourful board book designed to help young children learn positional words such as in, on, under and behind through playful reading and everyday interactions. 📖🐇
Her daughter was involved throughout the journey, helping to shape the project from its earliest stages.
"My daughter has been part of this throughout, from seeing her reaction to the initial character designs and reading drafts of the story with me. It was an emotional experience reading it with her for the first time – luckily she loved it." ❤️
From the first steps in March to holding the finished book in her hands at the end of July, the project moved from idea to reality in just a few months. 🎉
"I feel really happy knowing I have created something that is being enjoyed by children and their grown-ups."
Alongside Melanie's NHS role, she has also launched Little Talker Learning, a small business focused on providing practical, evidence-based resources to support children’s communication development. The book is already being supported locally, with a nursery displaying copies and sharing it with families. 🤝💬
While helping children build communication skills remains at the heart of the project, the journey itself is a testament to what can happen when professional expertise, creativity and determination come together. 🌈✨
Let’s Find Betsy Bunny is available from www.littletalkerlearning.co.uk and is priced at £7.99. 🐰📚
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