Questions
Things people ask us
Anything we haven’t answered here, just write to us at bula@samyandbela.com. We read every one.
The books
Ages 2 to 7. The little ones love the rhythm and the pictures long before they follow the story, and the older ones start reading the words back to you. Every book is written to be read aloud, so it works best on a lap with someone else’s voice doing the telling.
About five minutes, start to finish. Short enough for a school night, long enough to be a proper story.
No. Each book stands on its own, and you can start anywhere. They do share the same village and the same family, so reading them together builds a world your little one will recognize.
She is. Some pages she makes it easy. Some pages she does not.
Yes, with everyday Fijian woven through the way it is actually spoken at home. Bula, yadra, dalo, bele. Nothing that stops the story, and nothing a child needs explained twice.
They are Fijian, and they are ours. But the bay belongs to anyone who wants to wander it. If your island is a different one, or if the Pacific is brand new to your little one, come in anyway. There is room here for every child.
Buying
Welcome to Our Bay and Bubu’s Turtle Tale are on Amazon now, in paperback and on Kindle, shipping worldwide. Tap Buy on any book and it will take you straight there.
Not yet, but soon. We are working on getting the books into Fiji shops, schools and libraries, and the premium hardcover editions are on their way. Join the list and we will tell you the day they land.
Not yet. We are building a shop here so you will be able to buy straight from the bay, with signed copies, bundles and proper shipping to the Pacific. Join the list and you will know the day it opens.
We do not ship anything ourselves yet. Every order goes through Amazon, and their shipping to the islands is expensive and, for some countries, not offered at all. That is exactly why every book is also on Kindle, which downloads anywhere. Full details are on our Shipping & Returns page.
Yes. Because Amazon sells and ships the books, returns go through them, and you can start one from Your Orders in your Amazon account. If a copy turns up damaged or misprinted, they will replace it. Send us a photo at bula@samyandbela.com as well, so we can keep an eye on print quality.
Because it is built for a hundred bedtimes. A hardcover survives being dropped, chewed, carried to daycare and read every single night for two years. The paperback is lovely and lighter on the wallet. The hardcover is the one that gets handed down.
Yes. Write to bula@samyandbela.com with how many you need and where you are, and we will sort it out with you directly.
Teachers and libraries
Please do. That is what they are for. Read them at story time, at assembly, on the mat, wherever you like.
For anything recorded, shared online, or used at an event, write to us first at bula@samyandbela.com. We say yes to almost everything. We just like to know where our books are going.
Not from the storybooks. When the colouring book arrives, teachers will be able to photocopy pages from it for their own class.
Yes. Join the list and you get a free colouring pack straight away, plus printables and festival pages as they come.
The series
New stories releasing soon. The Big Lovo is next, then the colouring book, and there is a lot more bay to wander.
One email when a new story lands, plus the free printables. No spam. Just sunshine.
Kritika Kripal writes and creates them, from Fiji. Moulding Minds Media publishes them. Made for us, about us, by us.