Meet The Author

LAUREN MAE PELKEY

is an award-nominated travel blogger, world traveler, children’s author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Boston, Rome, Melbourne, and Bogotá and has traveled to 30+ countries across 5 continents. She is from West Springfield, Massachusetts, and now resides in Bogotá, Colombia with her husband.

The Story of Wally

When her nephew was born in November 2017, she went searching for a children’s picture book that would inspire him from a young age to become curious about the world and its many beautiful cultures.

She imagined handing him a bright and beautifully illustrated picture book telling the story of an adventure around the world. A book that would innately teach tolerance, and ignite a curiosity and an eagerness to learn about people, places, languages and foods that were different to what he was used to.

Known as “the travel auntie,” she imagined giving him this special book that could inspire him from a young age to develop a connection with travel and the magic it can bring into your life.

She couldn't find the whimsical, quirky, and inspiring journey about world travel that she imagined - so she decided to create it.

Soon, Wally the Wandering Wallaby was born - a curious creature who wanders the globe with a wide-open heart and mind, experiencing different cultures, trying different foods, learning different languages, and meeting new friends. Through his rhyming storybooks, Wally brings children on adventures around the world where they can learn about the world’s many different and beautiful cultures while experiencing the joy and magic of travel.

Read her award-nominated blog Wanderluluu.com

Follow her on Instagram @wanderluluu

Why Wally Matters

The mission of Wally the Wandering Wallaby is to foster a more tolerant, accepting, and open-minded generation through the values of travel.

Where when children smell a type of food they've never been introduced to before they say "hey, what kind of lunch do you have? Can you tell me more about it?" from a place of genuine curiosity instead of "EWW - what's that?!" from a place of judgement.

Where when they hear a language that is different from their own they say "WOW that's so cool you speak another language - can you teach me a word?!" with warmth and openness instead of "what are you saying? You sound weird!" with negativity and criticism.

Learning about cultures and customs, foods and languages, and ways of life different from one's own is a powerful tool in creating a more tolerant, openminded, and openhearted world. We hope Wally the Wandering Wallaby can be a small part of that profound change!

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