September 1, 2025 • 21 mins
A worried watermelon might be exactly what your students need to navigate their big feelings this year. Meet Wally – the adorable protagonist of author Erin Waters' new children's book that's transforming how we approach anxiety in the classroom.
Drawing from her seven years as a first-grade teacher and her personal journey with worry, Waters has crafted a story that resonates deeply with both children and adults. "I've been a worrier since I was a kid," she shares, "and now that I have kids of my own, I see that same side of them." This authentic connection to anxiety makes Wally's journey particularly meaningful for young readers ages 4-8 who are learning to identify and manage their emotions.
What sets this book apart are Waters' innovative paper collage illustrations. Creating characters from colorful paper, household items, and even aluminum foil, she's developed a visual language that's both accessible and enchanting. The vibrant vegetable characters each offer Wally different coping strategies – from Teddy Tomato's "soup breaths" to other practical techniques children can easily remember and apply. One parent already reported her daughter successfully using "Teddy tomato soup breaths" during a stressful softball game, proving these strategies transfer seamlessly from page to real-life application.
Teachers and counselors will appreciate the extensive support materials Waters has created to accompany the book. By scanning the QR code inside the cover, educators can access free printable posters for calm-down corners, bookmarks, worksheets, and digital slides that make implementation seamless. Whether used during back-to-school season to ease transition anxieties, during testing periods, or as part of regular social-emotional learning, Wally's story provides children with concrete tools for managing worry.
Grab your copy of "Wally is Worried" on Amazon today, and visit ErinWatersEDU.com/Wally to access all the free companion resources. Help your students discover that while worries may never completely disappear, they can learn strategies to make those big feelings more manageable – one soup breath at a time.
Wally Is Worried: A Book About Worrying for Kids
Subscribe and Review:
Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix, and if you’re not subscribed, there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here for iTunes.
Now, if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast, and they’re also fun for me to go in and read. Click here to leave a review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review,” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to One Tired Teacher, episode 257, wally is
Worried, helping students andourselves navigate big feelings.
I'm very excited today becauseI have a very special guest,
erin Waters, who is not only afriend, but she is a teacher.
(00:22):
She's a teacher author and sheis an author author.
She just wrote a children'sbook called Wally is Worried and
it is so absolutely adorable.
You're going to love it.
Today we are recording.
It is August 12th.
(00:42):
This comes out September 1st andtoday is a day that Wally is
Worried has launched into theworld on Amazon, so it's super
exciting.
I've already grabbed my copyand you should definitely check
it out.
It's so cute and I'm thrilledto bring you this conversation
with Erin.
Bring you this conversationwith Erin.
(01:08):
Wally's story of Watermelon whoWorries opens up such powerful
discussions about anxiety,emotions and helping kids feel
safe to be themselves in theclassroom.
Whether you're teaching socialand emotional learning or you're
wanting your children tounderstand that it's safe to
feel worried, or if you'reteaching social and emotional
learning directly, you're aschool counselor, you are a
(01:33):
student support specialist,you're a media specialist,
you're a teacher or you justwant to simply build stronger
emotional connections duringyour reading time, you're going
to love this story, so we aregoing to jump in with Aaron.
Welcome to One Tired Teacherand even though she may need a
(01:57):
nap, this teacher is ready towake up and speak her truth
about the trials and treasuresof teaching.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Here she is, is wide awake.
Wait, she's not asleep rightnow, is she?
She is awake right.
Okay, From Trina DeveryTeaching and Learning your host,
Trina Devery.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So Erin welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Thank you so much, Trina, for having me.
This is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Thank you so much, trina, for having me.
This is so exciting, I'm soexcited.
I'm so excited because it'slaunch day and also I have
gotten a sneak peek of the bookand I love it and I adore you,
and so I just could not be likeeven I woke up and then when I
saw the pictures I want to letyou give a little background,
but the pictures with your thatyour did, your kids do that Did
(02:46):
Annie and the kids.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, my husband and the kids put it together.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Oh my gosh, it was so adorable, and so the listeners
are like what is she talkingabout?
So let's, let's talk about it.
You, we, they know I alreadysaid that you that you have
written a book, so tell a littlebit about yourself and then a
little bit about, like, why youwrote that.
That's two questions at once,which is bad.
(03:11):
So let's just start with like alittle bit about yourself.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, so I was.
I started as a teacher, right,I taught first grade for seven
years and I absolutely loved it.
But then, you know, along theyears, I needed some creative
outlets and I started making youknow, as we all do, resources
for our classroom, and thatturned into having a TPT store,
(03:35):
which turned into me making youknow a sizable enough income
that I could leave the classroom.
However, my heart for educationand teachers and students never
really left.
So, while I love makingresources and I think it's so
powerful and life-changing forteachers and students, there was
still this little part of methat knew I needed to do a
(03:57):
little bit more.
I've always been a creativeperson, I think, probably like a
lot of people listening, likegrew up, like playing school,
making books, like just creatingall the things.
So one of my other loves, ofcourse, is reading, both with my
kids and as a grownup.
And I decided to fulfill alifelong dream of writing my own
(04:20):
book and I decided, you knowwhy not stop there.
I'm going to not only write it,but I want to be the one making
the pictures too.
So, back in September of 2024,I sat down and decided to start
creating my very first bookwhich goes live today.
It is called Wally is Worried,and it's about a worried little
(04:42):
watermelon who learns copingstrategies for his anxiety,
which is something I thinkgrownups and kids alike relate
to.
And yeah, I mean, it's a bookvery close to my heart and
something that was justgenuinely fun to create.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah Well, first of all, I mean it.
I can't even believe you didthe illustrations Like.
That is the part that thatblows my mind.
Not only are the words like sowitty and cute and like resonate
with your heart and make youfeel and like take you on this
story.
So the storytelling isexcellent, but along with that,
(05:22):
I've always wanted to write abook, but the thing that stops
me has always been theillustrations.
But you have done it in such acreative way and then you can
capture, like their facialexpressions and just all this,
all this stuff.
It's so good.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
That was definitely probably the biggest hump to get
over was the illustration piece.
I love arts and crafts.
I love, like I said, I lovecreating, but I've never been.
I can draw, but not to thepoint of drawing illustration.
So I actually took a.
I took inspiration from one ofmy own favorite children's
authors and illustrators, leoLeone, who does a lot of collage
(06:00):
.
He cuts out construction paperand makes these cute little mice
and characters in his book.
And when I taught first grade,that was my favorite author
study unit was we would alwayscreate.
Kids would create their ownlittle mouse.
So one day I was thinking and Iwas looking at all my drawings
of these watermelons and I'mjust like, oh, what else could I
do?
And then it dawned on me, whynot go there?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So it was so much fun to create.
Yeah, it's so cool, and sothat's what you've done.
It was with it's like paper,yeah.
Yeah, talk a little bit aboutthat, because I think that idea,
that process was, is socreative and and the way that
you you even capture, like thebackground, and I'm like how is
(06:44):
she even doing?
I, I don't know it.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I don't know it just blows me away so we most of the
illustrations were just withregular colorful paper that you
would buy somewhere likeMichael's.
I'd actually hit up Michael'sat the very beginning.
They were having a sale and Iwas like this is perfect.
So I stocked up on just youknow, the usual colors of paper
and I started just laying piecesout.
(07:09):
So what I would do is I wouldcut out all the pieces to make a
character or a background orsomething like that, and then I
would lay them out on the groundand kind of position everything
the way I wanted it to.
And I, honestly, some of them Ididn't even glue together, I
just laid the pieces togetherand then I would take a picture
with my phone and I would uploadthat to Canva, so then I could
(07:29):
actually use it digitallyalongside the words that I had
already written because I hadthe words at this point were
done.
I did the words first and thenthe illustrations.
But the fun part was, once Istarted making these little
characters out of paper, makingbackgrounds out of paper, I
started thinking like, well, Iprobably don't need to stop at
(07:49):
paper.
So I started.
You know, my kids would be atschool during the day, my
husband would be at work and Iwould be like running around the
house looking for like in ourmedicine cabinet.
I would be grabbing like ballsand using those for clouds, and
I tore pieces of aluminum foilto make a watering can for one
of the.
I used some packing paper fromone of my Amazon packages one
(08:10):
day and like wrinkled it to makethe the ground and it's just
like really anything is possibleand it might look very basic
while you're making it, but onceyou get it into that digital
format and you put it with thewords, it all comes together and
it was so fun to see it is.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
It's so.
It is so fun to see and I thinkkids are gonna love it, and I I
already have so many ideasabout how teachers could use
this book and how mediaspecialists and and people
different people could use it.
And one of the things thatcomes to my mind and that's like
I'm jumping ahead of myself,but you again, you're like you
just triggered that part in me.
(08:45):
That's like this would be sucha powerful activity to do in a
maker space and then they couldeither recreate things, recreate
settings or recreate like, do aretelling, but they could also
construct like a solution forWally, because I want you to
(09:06):
talk about that too, becauseWally is a worrier.
So, like, how did you come upwith?
How did you come up with that?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, I remember when I was a first grade teacher and
we would go through writingworkshops and teach the the
whole art of writing.
One of the main messages Ishared with my students was
write what you know like, writesomething familiar to you, right
?
You know we did a lot ofpersonal narratives and you know
, if it's familiar to you, it'sgoing to resonate with other
(09:33):
people.
And I am a worrier.
I've been a worrier since I wasa kid and, of course, just as
I've gotten older, my worrieshave changed and gotten bigger.
And now that I have kids of myown, I see that same side of
them.
I see the things that theyworry about and I see the
anxiety that creeps in withlittle things and big things.
(09:54):
And I decided to take my ownadvice.
And you know, I know what itfeels like to worry and I know
what's helped me and I know whatI tell my kids when they're
worrying, and I really justwanted to share that message
with more people more children,yeah, and more adults, because
it's.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I can't wait for my copy to come, because I have
been in this struggle ofworrying about my son and um and
we're having an issue right nowand he actually texted me
yesterday and told me to worryabout myself, which was very
rude, and I'm like listen,you're my son, I'm your mother,
(10:33):
I will always worry and careabout you and love you for the
rest of your life.
So there's nothing you can say.
You can't tell me to stopworrying.
It's impossible when it comesto you and you make it so hard,
but anyway.
So I need Wally and I need allthe friends that are involved in
the story, where they give them, pick me ups and help, give
(10:55):
them point lessons, teach themlessons about worrying, and so I
need that little reminder whichI think is so powerful
especially.
I think it's powerful at anytime of the year, but at the
beginning of the year, when kidsare so worried about school and
classrooms and I mean eventesting season would be a really
(11:15):
good time to read the book.
I think I really think anytime,because I think kids have
worries constantly.
But, like, what a great timefor the book to come out right
at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, I know, if only it was that easy, that you
could just if only stop worryingwas a good enough piece of
advice.
Yeah, you know, a lot of ourproblems would have been solved
a long time ago.
So, yeah, that was reallyimportant to me too is to give
universal strategies that aren'tjust going to work in certain
moments.
They're not specific to certaintimes of the year, like back to
(11:47):
school, but they can be usedduring back to school when
you're feeling that anxiety andall of the changes that cause
all of those worries, all ofthose worries, and so my hope is
that kids will see these andinternalize them enough that
they can use them during anyyear when they're well.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I think that's what makes a book so special is that
there are strategies, and theway that they're told through
the veggie characters are islike it makes it so relatable.
And you're like this oh my gosh, I can do this, like you feel
like you can do it, even even ifyou've been in counseling
forever, and they're telling youthe same kinds of things.
(12:25):
You're like, oh my gosh, itjust took these veggies to help
me understand this really well.
So I think that's the one ofthe most powerful parts of it
and I think, and just theperseverance of you know, wally,
and I don't know, I just I lovethat part.
Okay, so how do you think?
I mean, we've already talked alittle bit about it, but how do
(12:46):
you think teachers can use thisbook in their classroom?
Or were you thinking schoolcounselors and you know people
that are working on social andemotional learning?
Or, you know, did you have aspecific group of people in mind
?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You know.
So when I was, I wrote thisbook specifically, obviously for
kids, but thinking about whowas going to be the ones
ultimately purchasing this bookand getting it into the hands of
kids, I was thinking of threemain groups.
I was thinking of teachers, andthe book is for kids.
I would say age four to eightwould be ideal.
Of course we can go a littlelower or higher depending on the
kid.
(13:21):
So teachers, parents and thenguidance counselors and I think,
like you said, I think a backto school read aloud would be
absolutely perfect.
If you're reading it at thebeginning of the year, I can see
it being really powerful, beingable to refer to those
characters and those strategiesthroughout the year.
So it's not just like a one anddone read aloud, it's something
(13:42):
that you can reference forhowever long you want in the
future.
Actually, I created some freeposters that teachers can use in
their room or guidancecounselors can use.
You know how sometimesclassrooms have like a calm down
corner.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yes, yes, they can go , and they're the cutest posters
.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, and so they're so cute and have some visuals
where they can remind themselveslike, okay, I can, I can take
soup breaths.
One of my characters is Teddytomato and he teaches the reader
and the little veggie friendsin the book how to pretend like
you're inhaling the aroma of abowl of soup and then slowly
blowing out so that you'recooling it off.
(14:21):
And it's been really cool thisweek.
One of my friends here at homewho read the book, Um, she
texted me the other day herdaughter was playing softball
and she was pitching and shesaid Sophia is having a really
hard time pitching right now andI just called out to her on the
pitching mound take, Teddytomato, soup breaths.
Yeah, Sophia just like smiledand started like taking deep
(14:43):
breaths.
And I think that's what it'sall about is being able to grab
onto those real life in themoment feelings and being like
hey, now would be a great timeto think about some strategies,
and you can see it reallyworking.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But I feel like that's so much again more
powerful to Teddy.
You know soup strategy.
Rather than take deep breaths,you know it's, it just makes you
cause, it connects back to thecharacter and you're like, oh
yeah, okay, this is what itlooks like, this is what I can
do and this is how it helpedWally.
So, yeah, I think that, I thinkthat is, I love that.
(15:23):
Okay, so you, you made theposters and then I think you
even didn't you even do likesome like response kind of
things, yeah, like response,yeah, yeah, and I can share the
link with your listeners.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So it's all on one site.
It's ErinWatersEDUcom, slashWally, and if you scroll down
the page there's a tools sectionso you can sign up to get a
free set of Wally themedbookmarks for your classroom.
You can sign up for thoseposters that I just talked a
little bit about.
And then I also created a setof worksheets and a set of
(15:59):
slides that go along with thebook so you can use them before
reading and after reading, andthose, I would say, would be
great for guidance counselors,because I can see them taking
them into a classroom and havingthe visual and then kind of a
follow-up activity with theworksheet.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Even STEM teachers and media specialists.
I can see.
I can see this.
I mean I would have done it inmy second grade classroom, Like
it would have been somethingthat we were going to do and
having that, that support ofthose things in the book.
Is there any way?
Way, any.
Does it have like a page whereit like links to that or shit,
or it does?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
okay, good yeah, so on the inside front cover,
depending on, there's beenseveral versions floating around
, but the the the current finalversion on the inside cover has
a little qr code that you canscan.
That will take you right to thepage that I was just talking
about I was that's so smart,because so many authors do not
do that.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And then teachers are like I don't know what to do
with this book, like, becausesometimes it doesn't just come
naturally the ideas.
But I think, opening the book,I'm like I have like a million
ideas, but that's not how somepeople think.
And having that, having thoselike resources just ready to go,
that is such a benefit.
I don't can't get comfortablein this chair.
(17:15):
Um, that's such a benefit andso like such a support that
people are like and you know, asa, as a former media specialist
, the bookmarks.
I would have been all over thebookmarks because kids love
bookmarks.
They're constantly asking forbookmarks amazing, I mean and I.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I love a good bookmark and the asking for
bookmarks.
Yeah, it's amazing.
I mean I love a good bookmarkand the set that I have on my
site.
There's a black and whiteversion that kids can color
themselves or there's a fullcolor version that teachers can
print off and laminate if theywant like a class set in the
classroom.
But yeah, I mean, teachers arealready thinking about so many
different things every singleminute of the day.
So any way that I can maketheir experience with WALL-E
(17:55):
easier and more enjoyable, likeI'm all for it.
So if anyone has any other goodWALL-E ideas, I'm happy to
throw them up on that site.
But I think that those will atleast be a good starting point
for anyone who's introducingWALL-E to their classroom.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I think so too, and I think that they're going to
absolutely love it.
It is a beautiful book.
Well done Job, well done, okay.
So one more question how didyou navigate your own feelings
of worrying while creating thebook?
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Oh my gosh.
Well, that's a great question,because I think it has been the
classic case of do as I say, notas I do.
You know, there it's.
It's been a very good moment ofself-reflection for me because,
like like we've talked aboutbefore, like I have you know, I
I'm someone who is very in touchwith my emotions.
(18:48):
I am self-aware, almost to afault sometimes.
So writing this book was, I wantto say, kind, kind of
therapeutic for me in a way,because it made me realize that
maybe I don't have my worryingunder control as much as I
thought.
So it's been interestingbecause there have been moments
where you know it's usually atnight, when you're laying in bed
(19:09):
at night, and one night I waslike, what am I doing?
And I started going through thedifferent Wally coping
strategies and I actuallystarted using some and it was a
really powerful moment for me,kind of like hey, this isn't
isn't just for kids, it's forgrownups too, and it's it's a
(19:31):
constant work in progress.
So I think that it's impossibleto ever tamp down all the
worries, but if you can at leastalleviate the feelings that you
feel in your body and yourbrain when those worries start
to creep in even just a littlebit.
It's a win in my book, yeahabsolutely, and it's, and it's
perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I mean it would be a great Sunday book for teachers
to a Sunday before the Sundayscaries kick in here, I got to
get my Wally book out and giveit a read Truly truly.
It's great.
Erin thank you for doing this,thank you for sharing, and I
wish you so much success,because I think this book is I
(20:13):
do, I think it's truly beautiful, and also I cannot wait to find
out if there's going to be morewith the other characters too.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I think there might just be, so stay tuned, all
right.
Thank you so much, karina.
I really appreciate yoursupport and I hope that.
Wally finds his way into lotsof classrooms and laps this year
.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Me too.
Oh, such a so much fun, sogreat talking to Aaron.
So Wally's story is adorable,but it's also real.
Our kids need to feel safe.
They need to feel like they'rein safe places and have safe
places to land.
Books give us a way in.
If you haven't yet read Wallyis Worried, which you probably
(20:59):
haven't because it just came outtoday, but by the time this
comes out, you could have readit, so you can grab it on Amazon
.
I'm going to drop the linkbelow and I'm going, and you can
use this to.
I'm also going to drop Aaron'slink so you can grab some of the
extra freebies too, and you canuse it to introduce your class
to a watermelon with bigfeelings and a big heart.
(21:21):
And also, this is a great storyto put in your sub tub, with
that free day of sub plans thatI gave away a few weeks ago.
I'm going to give those awayagain because this book would go
perfectly with that.
And if you need a low stressway to plan for those days off,
(21:42):
don't forget that free sub plansare for you.
You'll be glad to have it whenyou need it.
Until next time, sweet dreamsand sleep tight.
Welcome to One Tired Teacher, episode 257, wally is
Worried, helping students andourselves navigate big feelings.
I'm very excited today becauseI have a very special guest,
erin Waters, who is not only afriend, but she is a teacher.
(00:22):
She's a teacher author and sheis an author author.
She just wrote a children'sbook called Wally is Worried and
it is so absolutely adorable.
You're going to love it.
Today we are recording.
It is August 12th.
(00:42):
This comes out September 1st andtoday is a day that Wally is
Worried has launched into theworld on Amazon, so it's super
exciting.
I've already grabbed my copyand you should definitely check
it out.
It's so cute and I'm thrilledto bring you this conversation
with Erin.
Bring you this conversationwith Erin.
(01:08):
Wally's story of Watermelon whoWorries opens up such powerful
discussions about anxiety,emotions and helping kids feel
safe to be themselves in theclassroom.
Whether you're teaching socialand emotional learning or you're
wanting your children tounderstand that it's safe to
feel worried, or if you'reteaching social and emotional
learning directly, you're aschool counselor, you are a
(01:33):
student support specialist,you're a media specialist,
you're a teacher or you justwant to simply build stronger
emotional connections duringyour reading time, you're going
to love this story, so we aregoing to jump in with Aaron.
Welcome to One Tired Teacherand even though she may need a
(01:57):
nap, this teacher is ready towake up and speak her truth
about the trials and treasuresof teaching.
Speaker 2 (02:04):
Here she is, is wide awake.
Wait, she's not asleep rightnow, is she?
She is awake right.
Okay, From Trina DeveryTeaching and Learning your host,
Trina Devery.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
So Erin welcome, welcome, welcome.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Thank you so much, Trina, for having me.
This is so exciting.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
Thank you so much, trina, for having me.
This is so exciting, I'm soexcited.
I'm so excited because it'slaunch day and also I have
gotten a sneak peek of the bookand I love it and I adore you,
and so I just could not be likeeven I woke up and then when I
saw the pictures I want to letyou give a little background,
but the pictures with your thatyour did, your kids do that Did
(02:46):
Annie and the kids.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yeah, my husband and the kids put it together.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
Oh my gosh, it was so adorable, and so the listeners
are like what is she talkingabout?
So let's, let's talk about it.
You, we, they know I alreadysaid that you that you have
written a book, so tell a littlebit about yourself and then a
little bit about, like, why youwrote that.
That's two questions at once,which is bad.
(03:11):
So let's just start with like alittle bit about yourself.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
Yeah, so I was.
I started as a teacher, right,I taught first grade for seven
years and I absolutely loved it.
But then, you know, along theyears, I needed some creative
outlets and I started making youknow, as we all do, resources
for our classroom, and thatturned into having a TPT store,
(03:35):
which turned into me making youknow a sizable enough income
that I could leave the classroom.
However, my heart for educationand teachers and students never
really left.
So, while I love makingresources and I think it's so
powerful and life-changing forteachers and students, there was
still this little part of methat knew I needed to do a
(03:57):
little bit more.
I've always been a creativeperson, I think, probably like a
lot of people listening, likegrew up, like playing school,
making books, like just creatingall the things.
So one of my other loves, ofcourse, is reading, both with my
kids and as a grownup.
And I decided to fulfill alifelong dream of writing my own
(04:20):
book and I decided, you knowwhy not stop there.
I'm going to not only write it,but I want to be the one making
the pictures too.
So, back in September of 2024,I sat down and decided to start
creating my very first bookwhich goes live today.
It is called Wally is Worried,and it's about a worried little
(04:42):
watermelon who learns copingstrategies for his anxiety,
which is something I thinkgrownups and kids alike relate
to.
And yeah, I mean, it's a bookvery close to my heart and
something that was justgenuinely fun to create.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah Well, first of all, I mean it.
I can't even believe you didthe illustrations Like.
That is the part that thatblows my mind.
Not only are the words like sowitty and cute and like resonate
with your heart and make youfeel and like take you on this
story.
So the storytelling isexcellent, but along with that,
(05:22):
I've always wanted to write abook, but the thing that stops
me has always been theillustrations.
But you have done it in such acreative way and then you can
capture, like their facialexpressions and just all this,
all this stuff.
It's so good.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
That was definitely probably the biggest hump to get
over was the illustration piece.
I love arts and crafts.
I love, like I said, I lovecreating, but I've never been.
I can draw, but not to thepoint of drawing illustration.
So I actually took a.
I took inspiration from one ofmy own favorite children's
authors and illustrators, leoLeone, who does a lot of collage
(06:00):
.
He cuts out construction paperand makes these cute little mice
and characters in his book.
And when I taught first grade,that was my favorite author
study unit was we would alwayscreate.
Kids would create their ownlittle mouse.
So one day I was thinking and Iwas looking at all my drawings
of these watermelons and I'mjust like, oh, what else could I
do?
And then it dawned on me, whynot go there?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So it was so much fun to create.
Yeah, it's so cool, and sothat's what you've done.
It was with it's like paper,yeah.
Yeah, talk a little bit aboutthat, because I think that idea,
that process was, is socreative and and the way that
you you even capture, like thebackground, and I'm like how is
(06:44):
she even doing?
I, I don't know it.
Speaker 2 (06:47):
I don't know it just blows me away so we most of the
illustrations were just withregular colorful paper that you
would buy somewhere likeMichael's.
I'd actually hit up Michael'sat the very beginning.
They were having a sale and Iwas like this is perfect.
So I stocked up on just youknow, the usual colors of paper
and I started just laying piecesout.
(07:09):
So what I would do is I wouldcut out all the pieces to make a
character or a background orsomething like that, and then I
would lay them out on the groundand kind of position everything
the way I wanted it to.
And I, honestly, some of them Ididn't even glue together, I
just laid the pieces togetherand then I would take a picture
with my phone and I would uploadthat to Canva, so then I could
(07:29):
actually use it digitallyalongside the words that I had
already written because I hadthe words at this point were
done.
I did the words first and thenthe illustrations.
But the fun part was, once Istarted making these little
characters out of paper, makingbackgrounds out of paper, I
started thinking like, well, Iprobably don't need to stop at
(07:49):
paper.
So I started.
You know, my kids would be atschool during the day, my
husband would be at work and Iwould be like running around the
house looking for like in ourmedicine cabinet.
I would be grabbing like ballsand using those for clouds, and
I tore pieces of aluminum foilto make a watering can for one
of the.
I used some packing paper fromone of my Amazon packages one
(08:10):
day and like wrinkled it to makethe the ground and it's just
like really anything is possibleand it might look very basic
while you're making it, but onceyou get it into that digital
format and you put it with thewords, it all comes together and
it was so fun to see it is.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
It's so.
It is so fun to see and I thinkkids are gonna love it, and I I
already have so many ideasabout how teachers could use
this book and how mediaspecialists and and people
different people could use it.
And one of the things thatcomes to my mind and that's like
I'm jumping ahead of myself,but you again, you're like you
just triggered that part in me.
(08:45):
That's like this would be sucha powerful activity to do in a
maker space and then they couldeither recreate things, recreate
settings or recreate like, do aretelling, but they could also
construct like a solution forWally, because I want you to
(09:06):
talk about that too, becauseWally is a worrier.
So, like, how did you come upwith?
How did you come up with that?
Speaker 2 (09:13):
Well, I remember when I was a first grade teacher and
we would go through writingworkshops and teach the the
whole art of writing.
One of the main messages Ishared with my students was
write what you know like, writesomething familiar to you, right
?
You know we did a lot ofpersonal narratives and you know
, if it's familiar to you, it'sgoing to resonate with other
(09:33):
people.
And I am a worrier.
I've been a worrier since I wasa kid and, of course, just as
I've gotten older, my worrieshave changed and gotten bigger.
And now that I have kids of myown, I see that same side of
them.
I see the things that theyworry about and I see the
anxiety that creeps in withlittle things and big things.
(09:54):
And I decided to take my ownadvice.
And you know, I know what itfeels like to worry and I know
what's helped me and I know whatI tell my kids when they're
worrying, and I really justwanted to share that message
with more people more children,yeah, and more adults, because
it's.
Speaker 1 (10:11):
I can't wait for my copy to come, because I have
been in this struggle ofworrying about my son and um and
we're having an issue right nowand he actually texted me
yesterday and told me to worryabout myself, which was very
rude, and I'm like listen,you're my son, I'm your mother,
(10:33):
I will always worry and careabout you and love you for the
rest of your life.
So there's nothing you can say.
You can't tell me to stopworrying.
It's impossible when it comesto you and you make it so hard,
but anyway.
So I need Wally and I need allthe friends that are involved in
the story, where they give them, pick me ups and help, give
(10:55):
them point lessons, teach themlessons about worrying, and so I
need that little reminder whichI think is so powerful
especially.
I think it's powerful at anytime of the year, but at the
beginning of the year, when kidsare so worried about school and
classrooms and I mean eventesting season would be a really
(11:15):
good time to read the book.
I think I really think anytime,because I think kids have
worries constantly.
But, like, what a great timefor the book to come out right
at the beginning of the year.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Yeah, I know, if only it was that easy, that you
could just if only stop worryingwas a good enough piece of
advice.
Yeah, you know, a lot of ourproblems would have been solved
a long time ago.
So, yeah, that was reallyimportant to me too is to give
universal strategies that aren'tjust going to work in certain
moments.
They're not specific to certaintimes of the year, like back to
(11:47):
school, but they can be usedduring back to school when
you're feeling that anxiety andall of the changes that cause
all of those worries, all ofthose worries, and so my hope is
that kids will see these andinternalize them enough that
they can use them during anyyear when they're well.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
I think that's what makes a book so special is that
there are strategies, and theway that they're told through
the veggie characters are islike it makes it so relatable.
And you're like this oh my gosh, I can do this, like you feel
like you can do it, even even ifyou've been in counseling
forever, and they're telling youthe same kinds of things.
(12:25):
You're like, oh my gosh, itjust took these veggies to help
me understand this really well.
So I think that's the one ofthe most powerful parts of it
and I think, and just theperseverance of you know, wally,
and I don't know, I just I lovethat part.
Okay, so how do you think?
I mean, we've already talked alittle bit about it, but how do
(12:46):
you think teachers can use thisbook in their classroom?
Or were you thinking schoolcounselors and you know people
that are working on social andemotional learning?
Or, you know, did you have aspecific group of people in mind
?
Speaker 2 (13:01):
You know.
So when I was, I wrote thisbook specifically, obviously for
kids, but thinking about whowas going to be the ones
ultimately purchasing this bookand getting it into the hands of
kids, I was thinking of threemain groups.
I was thinking of teachers, andthe book is for kids.
I would say age four to eightwould be ideal.
Of course we can go a littlelower or higher depending on the
kid.
(13:21):
So teachers, parents and thenguidance counselors and I think,
like you said, I think a backto school read aloud would be
absolutely perfect.
If you're reading it at thebeginning of the year, I can see
it being really powerful, beingable to refer to those
characters and those strategiesthroughout the year.
So it's not just like a one anddone read aloud, it's something
(13:42):
that you can reference forhowever long you want in the
future.
Actually, I created some freeposters that teachers can use in
their room or guidancecounselors can use.
You know how sometimesclassrooms have like a calm down
corner.
Speaker 1 (13:57):
Yes, yes, they can go , and they're the cutest posters
.
Speaker 2 (14:00):
Yeah, and so they're so cute and have some visuals
where they can remind themselveslike, okay, I can, I can take
soup breaths.
One of my characters is Teddytomato and he teaches the reader
and the little veggie friendsin the book how to pretend like
you're inhaling the aroma of abowl of soup and then slowly
blowing out so that you'recooling it off.
(14:21):
And it's been really cool thisweek.
One of my friends here at homewho read the book, Um, she
texted me the other day herdaughter was playing softball
and she was pitching and shesaid Sophia is having a really
hard time pitching right now andI just called out to her on the
pitching mound take, Teddytomato, soup breaths.
Yeah, Sophia just like smiledand started like taking deep
(14:43):
breaths.
And I think that's what it'sall about is being able to grab
onto those real life in themoment feelings and being like
hey, now would be a great timeto think about some strategies,
and you can see it reallyworking.
Speaker 1 (14:58):
But I feel like that's so much again more
powerful to Teddy.
You know soup strategy.
Rather than take deep breaths,you know it's, it just makes you
cause, it connects back to thecharacter and you're like, oh
yeah, okay, this is what itlooks like, this is what I can
do and this is how it helpedWally.
So, yeah, I think that, I thinkthat is, I love that.
(15:23):
Okay, so you, you made theposters and then I think you
even didn't you even do likesome like response kind of
things, yeah, like response,yeah, yeah, and I can share the
link with your listeners.
Speaker 2 (15:37):
So it's all on one site.
It's ErinWatersEDUcom, slashWally, and if you scroll down
the page there's a tools sectionso you can sign up to get a
free set of Wally themedbookmarks for your classroom.
You can sign up for thoseposters that I just talked a
little bit about.
And then I also created a setof worksheets and a set of
(15:59):
slides that go along with thebook so you can use them before
reading and after reading, andthose, I would say, would be
great for guidance counselors,because I can see them taking
them into a classroom and havingthe visual and then kind of a
follow-up activity with theworksheet.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
Even STEM teachers and media specialists.
I can see.
I can see this.
I mean I would have done it inmy second grade classroom, Like
it would have been somethingthat we were going to do and
having that, that support ofthose things in the book.
Is there any way?
Way, any.
Does it have like a page whereit like links to that or shit,
or it does?
Speaker 2 (16:36):
okay, good yeah, so on the inside front cover,
depending on, there's beenseveral versions floating around
, but the the the current finalversion on the inside cover has
a little qr code that you canscan.
That will take you right to thepage that I was just talking
about I was that's so smart,because so many authors do not
do that.
Speaker 1 (16:55):
And then teachers are like I don't know what to do
with this book, like, becausesometimes it doesn't just come
naturally the ideas.
But I think, opening the book,I'm like I have like a million
ideas, but that's not how somepeople think.
And having that, having thoselike resources just ready to go,
that is such a benefit.
I don't can't get comfortablein this chair.
(17:15):
Um, that's such a benefit andso like such a support that
people are like and you know, asa, as a former media specialist
, the bookmarks.
I would have been all over thebookmarks because kids love
bookmarks.
They're constantly asking forbookmarks amazing, I mean and I.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
I love a good bookmark and the asking for
bookmarks.
Yeah, it's amazing.
I mean I love a good bookmarkand the set that I have on my
site.
There's a black and whiteversion that kids can color
themselves or there's a fullcolor version that teachers can
print off and laminate if theywant like a class set in the
classroom.
But yeah, I mean, teachers arealready thinking about so many
different things every singleminute of the day.
So any way that I can maketheir experience with WALL-E
(17:55):
easier and more enjoyable, likeI'm all for it.
So if anyone has any other goodWALL-E ideas, I'm happy to
throw them up on that site.
But I think that those will atleast be a good starting point
for anyone who's introducingWALL-E to their classroom.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
I think so too, and I think that they're going to
absolutely love it.
It is a beautiful book.
Well done Job, well done, okay.
So one more question how didyou navigate your own feelings
of worrying while creating thebook?
Speaker 2 (18:26):
Oh my gosh.
Well, that's a great question,because I think it has been the
classic case of do as I say, notas I do.
You know, there it's.
It's been a very good moment ofself-reflection for me because,
like like we've talked aboutbefore, like I have you know, I
I'm someone who is very in touchwith my emotions.
(18:48):
I am self-aware, almost to afault sometimes.
So writing this book was, I wantto say, kind, kind of
therapeutic for me in a way,because it made me realize that
maybe I don't have my worryingunder control as much as I
thought.
So it's been interestingbecause there have been moments
where you know it's usually atnight, when you're laying in bed
(19:09):
at night, and one night I waslike, what am I doing?
And I started going through thedifferent Wally coping
strategies and I actuallystarted using some and it was a
really powerful moment for me,kind of like hey, this isn't
isn't just for kids, it's forgrownups too, and it's it's a
(19:31):
constant work in progress.
So I think that it's impossibleto ever tamp down all the
worries, but if you can at leastalleviate the feelings that you
feel in your body and yourbrain when those worries start
to creep in even just a littlebit.
It's a win in my book, yeahabsolutely, and it's, and it's
perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
I mean it would be a great Sunday book for teachers
to a Sunday before the Sundayscaries kick in here, I got to
get my Wally book out and giveit a read Truly truly.
It's great.
Erin thank you for doing this,thank you for sharing, and I
wish you so much success,because I think this book is I
(20:13):
do, I think it's truly beautiful, and also I cannot wait to find
out if there's going to be morewith the other characters too.
Speaker 2 (20:21):
I think there might just be, so stay tuned, all
right.
Thank you so much, karina.
I really appreciate yoursupport and I hope that.
Wally finds his way into lotsof classrooms and laps this year
.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Me too.
Oh, such a so much fun, sogreat talking to Aaron.
So Wally's story is adorable,but it's also real.
Our kids need to feel safe.
They need to feel like they'rein safe places and have safe
places to land.
Books give us a way in.
If you haven't yet read Wallyis Worried, which you probably
(20:59):
haven't because it just came outtoday, but by the time this
comes out, you could have readit, so you can grab it on Amazon
.
I'm going to drop the linkbelow and I'm going, and you can
use this to.
I'm also going to drop Aaron'slink so you can grab some of the
extra freebies too, and you canuse it to introduce your class
to a watermelon with bigfeelings and a big heart.
(21:21):
And also, this is a great storyto put in your sub tub, with
that free day of sub plans thatI gave away a few weeks ago.
I'm going to give those awayagain because this book would go
perfectly with that.
And if you need a low stressway to plan for those days off,
(21:42):
don't forget that free sub plansare for you.
You'll be glad to have it whenyou need it.
Until next time, sweet dreamsand sleep tight.
Popular Podcasts
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.