The Backstory Behind Baa Baa Baby Braves the Big Baa-d Bully
The Backstory Behind Baa Baa Baby Braves the Big Baa-d Bully
In kindergarten, there was a pair of twins a year ahead of me who had quite the reputation. They were the class bullies—always looking for someone smaller to pick on.
But I had a secret weapon: my cousin. She was in the same year as those twins. Though she wasn’t herself a bully, she nevertheless had a “show me who’s boss and I’ll show you who’s bossier” kind of vibe. The kind of cousin every little girl wishes she had. Let’s just say, those twins didn’t bother me again.
Lately, though, bullying has crept back into my thoughts—only this time, it’s not about me.
Children I know have been unfairly targeted. One boy, who was playing football, was tackled so suddenly by a schoolmate (who wasn’t even in the game) that he fractured his ankle.
Another child became a victim of cyberbullying. Though the police got involved and the overt bullying stopped, the cold shoulders and exclusion continued, making her school years a nightmare.
Another boy had his chair pulled out from under him. He also got shoved down a flight of stairs. Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously hurt—but it could have ended very differently.
When I began writing Baa Baby, I initially included scenes inspired by these real incidents. But as the drafts evolved, I realised something: by including certain types of bullying, I might inadvertently teach kids how to bully.
So I made a choice.
Wooligan, the big bad bully in the book, sticks to verbal taunts and dark thoughts—enough to hurt, but not enough to plant dangerous ideas. And Baby and Jumper, the little lambs at the heart of this story, find their own gentle ways of baa baa braving it all.
As for the sweet puppy love angle—it was inspired by a moment at Don Don Donki. A little boy of kindergarten age was playing by himself while his parents browsed shelves nearby. A little girl of about the same age wandered over with her parents, and he asked, “Hello, are you a girl?”
Sweet and shy, she said, “Yes, I’m a girl.”
And just like that, the two started laughing and playing together like old friends. No judgment. No fear. Just connection.
Wouldn’t it be lovely if childhood could always be like that?
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If you’ve ever witnessed bullying—or wondered how stories can help kids make sense of it—I’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment. Let’s get a conversation going. :)