Welsh Children’s Author Launches Uplifting National Campaign for Children’s Wellbeing

Carmarthenshire children’s picture book author Angharad Davies has announced the launch of a heartfelt new movement for our children’s wellbeing. The movement, which invites 500 mothers to share the words they most want their children to remember, will be captured in a powerful upcoming picture book and be part of a national campaign aimed at helping children hold onto the truth of who they are.

With rates of children and young people with probable mental health conditions increasing substantially in recent years, a new book project and social movement, Shape Their Story, is launching to spread messages of strength, truth, and self-belief to children across the UK. The campaign is the brainchild of Welsh children’s author Angharad Davies, the writer behind the Bowly Can picture book series, inspired by a tender moment with her seven-year-old son, who recently shared: “I want to help everyone in the world live the truth in their hearts.”

The project invites 500 messages from mothers – phrases like “You are braver than you know” or “The world needs exactly who you are” – to be featured on illustrated post-it notes in the front and back pages of Davies’ upcoming picture book, launching this summer. The book will also be donated to children in need through schools, charities, and family support organisations.

But this is more than just a book, it’s a movement of words to hold onto. A digital “Wall of Words” will also launch on the campaign website, welcoming thousands more mothers to share their messages.

Davies, who writes picture books to support children aged 3-8 with emotional wellbeing and resilience, says this project is the most personal of her career. This marks Davies’ second picture book project grounded in collaboration. Her first brought together ten schools across the UK, including three in Wales, to help shape the plot and language of her World Book Day release, Bowly Can Celebrate His Mistakes.

“This book is rooted in something deeply personal,” says Davies. “It’s what I want my own two children to remember for a lifetime. And I know I’m not alone. Mothers everywhere carry these quiet, powerful phrases inside them. I wanted to create a space where we give them a voice, and give children the words they need to hold onto, wrapped up inside a book that reminds them that they are enough, just as they are.”

Mothers can submit their words for free at www.shapetheirstory.com, and optional personalised prints are available for those who want a keepsake of their message. Submissions are open now.