Written with 3-7 -year-old’s in mind, ‘Taken By The Pirates’ is an action-packed story that traces the adventures of two curious children. Tabitha and Samuel embark on an exciting adventure when a giant envelope appears at their window one night. The giant envelope is carrying a letter from Mermaid Princess Lolina asking for help after being taken by some pirates. To help rescue Mermaid Princess Lolina, Tabitha and Samuel must row across the ocean, cut through high grass, squelch through thick, oozy mud and try to find the fastest way to hike over the biggest mountain. And that’s not even it; they must still pass the smelly, rude pirates without getting caught.

Cathrin Blickling is a writer and director in both theatre and film. Her acting training gave her the solid foundation of teaching acting, which later transferred into developing SEL and communication skills for children and adults.

Cathrin has over 15 years of experience working with schools teaching both children inside the classroom but also working with teachers externally. Her expertise is developing SEL and communication through story and play. She focuses on active learning rather than passive. Wonderland Interactive Storytelling reveals exactly this and she is now excited to also be publishing picture books, enabling her stories to reach even more children around the world.

Growing up in a small village in Kenya, Lillian faced many challenges, from severe hunger to having no shoes or clothes in her earlier years. She grew up in a polygamous family. She slept in one bed with all her siblings; her father beat the children and their mother. In addition to her harsh upbringing, Lillian faced the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), among other grave cultural challenges. Women in her village were, and continue to be, treated like objects with no voice or a safe place to run to for refuge.

Through resilience and perseverance, Lillian embraced these traditions as everyday practices growing up, until she realised that they were unfair and promised her mother that she would do something about it.

In her later years, Lillian migrated to Australia, where she self-funded a Degree in Nursing at Central Queensland University. She later graduated with a Master of Nursing at the University of Queensland while raising her two boys. She is now ready to bring awareness to the world on the issues she and many others have faced growing up.

One day, she plans to build Karibu; a women’s and children’s home in her community to give back what her mother and siblings lacked during the times they needed it most.

Lillian wishes to inspire those who come across her book, Looking Back to Move Forward, to understand that despite your upbringing and past, you must not give up. Lillian believes that nothing defines you or your future; you, as a person, are the primary determinant.

In this world, it is easy to condemn and bully others without intuition. She wishes for people to be kind to one another and spreads a message of compassion and reflection to embrace others without judgment to live in harmony.