Barney Climbs a Mountain

Barney Climbs a Mountain was the very first Crumpled Paper Productions story.

The inspiration came from my very own ordinary rock garden.

When I adopted Barney he was already 13 months old, almost fully grown. But as I watched him in my garden for the very first time, he took an immediate liking to the rock garden.

I wondered what it would have been like for him as a small puppy. To me it was just a rock garden, but a puppy would see it completely differently.

And so, in my imagination, I saw Barney as a puppy, and those rocks weren’t just rocks – they were a towering mountain waiting to be conquered.

Watching him in my mind, scramble over them with such confidence and determination made me wonder what the adventure might look like through his eyes.

As I imagined his journey, the story almost wrote itself. The bees, the waterfall, and the little discoveries along the way all grew naturally from Barney’s curiosity and my love of nature.

Although this was my first children’s book, it opened the door to many more adventures and I adopted a puppy named Hunter when he was 11 weeks old.

Barney, Hunter, Friday and all their friends followed soon afterwards, creating the wonderful world of Crumpled Paper Productions.

Looking back, it’s amazing to think that one dog climbing a pile of garden rocks started everything.

The Story Behind The Story

Barney is a rescue dog.  He was 13 months old when he came to live with me.  One of the first things he did was climb up onto my rock garden.  I watched him exploring the rocks and plants and finally he sat at the top and looked around the garden.

I wondered what he would’ve thought about it if he’d been a very small puppy.  And that was the moment Barney Climbs a Mountain was born.

What Children Will Discover

The joy of exploring
Confidence to try something new
Nature’s little wonders
Kindness and friendship
Courage to keep going
The excitement of adventure

For children aged 3 – 8 years