Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley Wall.
Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For years, I dreamed about writing a children’s book. I read with my two young children daily and as an educator, know how important reading is to growing minds—but it always felt like something for “someday.” In August 2022, with the encouragement and support of my husband, that someday became today. Together, we founded MamaBear Books, a children’s publishing company built to bring imaginative stories to life, inspire young readers, and help other authors chase their own dreams.
We started with a simple dream and a lot of research. Along the way, we made mistakes, learned countless lessons, and celebrated big wins. In 2023, we proudly released our very first picture book, The Day I Had a Bulldozer. That moment marked the beginning of something bigger than we ever imagined.
Fast-forward to today—just three years in, MamaBear Books has:
Published 10 children’s books that spark imagination and joy
Won multiple national awards for excellence in children’s literature
Appeared on local and national news outlets for our mission to build a love for reading
Created a platform that supports new authors in making their publishing dreams come true
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been up and down, and we have learned a lot. We started the business with big goals, a passion for reading and child development, but not a lot of knowledge on the publishing side. My husband being a business and tech guy, jumped right in on that side. As a former educator and a lover of research and books, jumped in on the creative side and started writing. I learned how to publish, market, and sell a book all while developing the first book in my series, The Day I Had a Bulldozer. For me the creation of the book came easy. I love writing and reading and working with amazing illustrators, but once the book was finished came the difficult part, for me. The sales and marketing. I had to learn to open up, break out of my shell, and share my stories. This was difficult at first, but people were so supportive and excited it became easier and easier. It’s daunting starting from scratch – your mom is the only one on your email list, your five closest friends are your only followers on your new social accounts, and your grandpa is the first one to buy your product. But with persistence, effort, and a growth mindset – all of that grows and evolves. You can only do something for the first time once. Your newsletter subscribers and follower count can only be zero once (or at least let’s hope so). Getting over that initial hump of starting from scratch was tough, but we have grown to thousands of connections, collaborations, and partnerships now.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We are MamaBear Books, a children’s book publishing company who believe childhood should be full of imagination, joy, and stories that build confidence. Founded in 2022 by my husband Jeff Wall and I, our publishing company was born from a simple dream—to create children’s books that kids can’t wait to read and that parents feel proud to share.
We specialize in children’s books that spark creativity, extend childhood wonder, and encourage big dreaming. Our titles—like The Day I Had a Bulldozer and The Day I Had a Spaceship—invite children to imagine extraordinary adventures in everyday life. Alongside these playful reads, we also create books that tackle real lessons, such as friendship, teamwork, and perseverance, in ways that are accessible, fun, and comforting for young readers.
What sets us apart is that we are not just publishers—we’re parents, educators, and dreamers ourselves. Our own children inspire our stories and even help shape ideas, making every book a family-driven creation. We are proud to combine professional publishing quality with the heart of a family business, giving our readers books that are both award-winning and deeply personal.
We are most proud of our dedication to child development in a fun and engaging way. Reading plays a crucial role in cognitive development in children, so when we started MamaBear Books, we had a goal to create fun books that would build a love for reading so children would turn to books again and again. We have parents and grandparents message us all the time talking about how much their kids/grandkids love our books and read them on repeat. This is exactly what we set out to do, build a love for reading in young children.
On a more personal level – I am really proud of the impact it has had on my own children. They have watched us and been active participants in building this company. They will come with us to events and have even started their own bookmark and bracelet business. They set up a little table at markets we go to and run their own business. These positive impacts on my kids were not something I expected when starting the company, but I am really proud that we have involved them so much that they have grown into little leaders and entrepreneurs.
What we want readers to know is this: MamaBear Books is more than a publishing company—it’s a movement to raise readers, dreamers, and confident kids. We create books that parents can trust, teachers can use, and children will cherish. Our offerings include not only our growing library of children’s books but also resources and inspiration for families who want to make reading a joyful part of everyday life.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I read a lot of books on mindset and entrepreneurs. It helps to flood my mind with other stories of people who built businesses from the ground up. I also benefit tremendously from mindset books. With hard days and so much to push through, we need to constantly flood our mind with positive motivation, perseverance motivation, and similar stories to show us we can keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mamabearbooks.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorashleywall/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAshleyWall/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mamabearbooks/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/mamabear_books/
Image Credits
Shelby Kotzerke
Claire Smith
