Inspired by my daughter, Lily. "She loves picture books, and they became our bridge to communication."
— Gareth, Founder & CEO
❤️ OUR ORIGINS & PURPOSE
Hello.
I’m Gareth, the founder and CEO of Lily Whisker Co.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you for visiting our website and welcome you to the family.
Lily Whisker Co. didn't start in a boardroom; it started at home, inspired by my daughter, Lily.
Lily is severely disabled and non-verbal, but her world is filled with an infectious joy. She loves picture books, and they became our bridge to communication. I started writing for her—developing characters like Lily Whisker the Detective Mouse and Tony the T-Rex—to create a world she could participate in.
As someone with dyslexia, I spent years struggling to find my own voice. It wasn't until my diagnosis that I realised I just needed different tools to unlock my creativity. That discovery changed my life, and it’s the spark that built this company.
Today, we’ve grown into something magical: a blend of storytelling, music, and education. Our 'Create Your Own Storybook' programme is designed to help children articulate their deepest thoughts and feelings through art and imagination—long before they can master phonics or traditional prose.
As an educator myself, I built this brand to be a partner you can trust. We are here to make your life easier and to give both teachers and students the confidence to explore language in a way that is bold, inclusive, and fun.
We are just in our infancy, but the world we’re building is big. Explore our stories, listen to our music on all major streaming platforms, and see how we’re bringing out the best in young minds.
Get in touch with us today. Let’s bring a little more magic into the classroom—and the home—together.
Welcome to a world built on the belief that every child has a story to tell, regardless of their ability to speak or write it down. Our world began with Lily—a non-verbal child with an infectious personality—and expanded into a mission to help every young mind find their voice.
From the detective mysteries of Lily Whisker to the adventures of Tony the T-Rex and the rest of the dinosaurs in his universe of stories, we create realities where children can test life's problems within the safety of a story. This is a place where doodles become academic techniques, and where every mistake is just a vital part of the learning process.
Step into our world and see how we use storytelling to teach, not just English, but the entire curriculum—from the science of a hypothesis to the geography of a character's journey...
THE DETECTIVE MOUSE
Lily Whisker
A curious, observant detective who solves intricate mysteries and proves that small creatures have enormous problem-solving powers.
THE INQUISITIVE EXPLORER
Bouncing through the micro-world, teaching emotional intelligence in playful leaps.
THE ROARING STORYTELLER
Leader of the dinosaur realm, testing big feelings and life problems within prehistoric adventures and playful rhymes.
THE TRIPLE THREAT
Star of the latest release, inspiring children to express emotion through rhythm, dance, and music.
"What if your students / pupils could "articulate" and share their thoughts and ideas before they could even spell their own names?"
The create your own storybook programme unlocks the power of literature in children — without having to write a single word if that is their usual way of working; for now at least.
It’s a workshop, which can be taught by anyone, or a "subliminal" toolkit you can drop into any lesson to let kids generate complex ideas they cannot yet verbalise.
It feels like a cheat code for literacy & language, and children love it! 😀
At Lily Whisker Co., our intent is to redefine storytelling as a foundational tool for the entire primary curriculum. We believe that storytelling is not merely a subcategory of English, but a powerful vehicle for teaching Art, History, Science, Geography, and Mathematics. By removing initial barriers to learning, and building our programme with scaffolding embedded, we allow every child to articulate complex thoughts and feelings through imagination and artistic creation.
Our programme implements a multimodal approach to learning. We deliver high-level literary devices—such as metaphors, similes, and semantic fields—in accessible, bitesize chunks. We specifically support inclusion by leveraging the unique skills of learners with barriers to traditional learning, turning doodles and visual imagination into profound academic techniques. Our method encourages children to treat a story as a scientific hypothesis, testing solutions to problems to build critical thinking and resilience.
The impact of our work goes beyond the classroom. We foster emotional intelligence by encouraging pupils/students to design diverse characters and appreciate the perspectives of others. Our pupils/students do not just learn to write; they learn to solve problems, communicate with confidence, and see themselves as creators. For the educator, we provide a structured framework you can trust, that reduces pressure while aiming to bring out the absolute best in every young mind.
PUBLISHED WORKS
Explore the growing collection of works published under the Lily Whisker Co. banner.
Our books are designed to be diverse, inclusive, and selfless—reflecting positive qualities.
TEACHER TRAINING
Empowering Teachers to Unlock Literacy Through Art & Storytelling
OUR METHODOLOGY
At Lily Whisker Co., we train educators on how to use art as the bridge to language. Based on the proven methodology behind our 'Create Your Own Storybook' program, our CPD provides teachers with practical, low-prep strategies to help every student communicate complex ideas—regardless of their reading or writing age.
THE REALITY
In modern education, teachers face an uphill battle: curriculums are packed, expectations are high, and classrooms are increasingly neurodiverse. Many students struggle with the traditional 'phonics-first' approach to writing, leading to frustration, disengagement, and a widening achievement gap.
01 Decode the Dyslexic & Neurodivergent Advantage
Understand how visual thinkers process ideas, and learn how to translate those strengths into structured writing without anxiety.
02 Teach High-Level Literary Devices Visually
Demystify advanced literary devices—like metaphors, personification, and semantic fields—using our 'artistic' methodology.
03 Integrate the Curriculum
Discover how to use a single story to teach Science, Maths, Geography, and History through scientific hypothesis and geographical mapping.
04 Foster Resilience
Gain a framework that teaches children that mistakes are a vital part of problem-solving and the learning process.
The Implementation: Our CPD is designed by educators, for educators. We provide you with a structured, multimodal framework that aims to reduce teacher workload while maximising student impact. Whether for a single classroom, or a whole-school initiative, our training aims to help you bring out the absolute best in every young mind.
At Lily Whisker Records, we believe the auditory world is a vital part of the storytelling journey. Our records are sonic companions to our stories, helping children immerse themselves in the characters and themes they love.
The Vision: Lily Whisker Co. is on a mission to ensure that every child—regardless of their verbal or phonetic ability—has the tools to find their voice. We are looking for passionate, professional educators to join our family as Certified Programme Facilitators. This is an opportunity for you to deliver the 'Create Your Own Storybook' programme in your local region, backed by our framework and brand.
Inclusive Methodology
Master our unique techniques for engaging learners with barriers to learning, ensuring no child is left behind.
Multi-Subject Integration
Learn how to market and deliver sessions that interweave Science, Maths, Geography, and History through the art of story.
Use the Lily Whisker Co. name, characters like the players you see here from FC Animals Galore, Lily Whisker herself, and all our professional assets to create an immersive experience for schools.
🗨️ CONNECT & COLLABORATE
Expert Support for Schools, Teachers, and Families
At Lily Whisker Co., our mission is to empower every voice. We offer a range of bespoke services
designed to integrate our multimodal storytelling framework into your educational environment.
SCHOOLS, ACADEMIES, AND COLLEGES
Bring the 'Create Your Own Storybook' workshop directly to your pupils. These sessions are specifically designed for UK Years 2 through 6, yet have been successfully delivered to children in their teens as a bridge to learning. We help students navigate the journey from character design to complex literary devices—like metaphors and personification—using our unique, and inclusive approach.
Highlights:
Inclusive methods tailored for neurodivergent and non-verbal learners.
Direct character design to narrative journey mapping.
Artistic approach to metaphors, similes, semantic fields and more...
Complete workshop packs for every participating child.
TEACHERS, SENCOS & LEADERSHIP TEAMS
Empower your staff with the tools to teach storytelling across the entire curriculum. Our CPD packages provide teachers with a functional, multimodal framework to use storytelling as a platform for Art, Science, Geography, History and more (you chose your specialty for mode of delivery).
Highlights:
Inclusive Strategies: Leverage visual skills of learners with barriers.
Cross-Curricular Mapping: Use narrative to teach hypotheses and route plotting.
Problem-Solving Frameworks: Story structures that develop resilience.
Low-prep, high-impact resources to reduce teacher workload.
CHILDREN WITH BARRIERS TO LEARNING
We offer specialised one:one sessions for children who require a more tailored path to communication through literature. Using Gareth’s personal experience with dyslexia and his background as an educator, we create a safe space for children to build confidence, find their voice, and learn to articulate their world through art and prose.
Highlights:
Mentoring grounded in Gareth's personal experience with dyslexia and a slower processing speed.
Safe, supportive space celebrating each child’s unique pace.
Articulation through art, visual maps, and imaginative worlds.
Regular parent feedback and creative milestone portfolios.
The Founder & CEO of Lily Whisker Co. has developed a new and innovative methodology.
CYOS Theory - Engineering Solutions Through Narrative
Transform team dynamics and alter your approach to problem-solving through CYOS Theory's unique narrative-based architecture.
Creativity is a super power we all possess. It plays a crucial part in our development as children and young adults, and helps us navigate the unknown. Then, as we embark on our new quest into adulthood and workplace settings, we have our inate power stripped from us through clinical, and sterile logic based processes.
CYOS Theory revitalises our creativity, and helps us unlock solutions.