The Backstory Behind Baa Baa Baby Braves the Big Baa-d Bully

The Picture Book and the BackStory

“Baa Baa Baby Braves the Big Baa-d Bully” is my latest picture book. Its title may be whimsical and light-hearted to win children’s hearts, but behind it lies a serious theme—bullying in schools. 

Show Me Who’s Boss and I’ll Show You Who’s Bossier

In my 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.

Real-Life Targets

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 some stairs. Thankfully, he wasn’t seriously hurt—but it could have ended very differently.

Evolution of Drafts

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. Meaning: his bullying will not plant dangerous ideas in the minds of children.

And Baby and Jumper, the little lambs at the heart of this story, find their own gentle ways of baa baa braving it all. No aggressive revenge whatsoever.

Around the same time I was working on Baa Baby, my dear friend Darsih in Indonesia sent me WhatsApp updates from her sheep farm. One lamb, born with black rings around her eyes like she’d been born in Ray-Bans, I named Liverpool. Another ram lamb soon followed — Manchester.

That’s when Darsih explained the problem with having two rams in one small flock: come mating season, they’d fight for dominance, sometimes brutally. It struck me that this was its own kind of bullying, and it blended perfectly with the theme I was already exploring in my story.

Hello. Are You A Girl?

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. Pure innocence. Wouldn’t it be lovely if childhood could always be like that?

Piece of Advice — If you’re a grownup, please do not use ‘Hello. Are you a girl?’ as your pick-up line on any man OR woman. You’re likely to get your facial features rearranged.!

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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. :)