Inbal Alon was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. She returned to Canada to study international development at Carleton University and followed by her master’s in educational policy at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education.

Inbal worked in and around schools in Ecuador, Tanzania, and Uganda. Her work focused on supporting education programs and spending time in classrooms alongside teachers and students. In 2014, Inbal started teaching full time in elementary school.

The writing started in pieces. Things kids said on the rug. Questions that lingered without answers. Moments that stayed with her that meant more questions.

Knowing Inbal Through Her Stories

There’s a little bit of Inbal in all her stories. She gives us a glimpse into who she is as a teacher, as well as a reflective and inquisitive child.

Her stories are about curiosity, courage, and trust — not as lessons, and not as answers, but as things children are already living through. Some stories end quietly. Some don’t end at all. That’s on purpose.

They’re meant to be read together. At home. In classrooms. And sometimes more than once.

My Aunt’s Swing is a quiet story about fear, watching from the sidelines, and what it feels like to finally choose courage — even as an adult. Much of the story takes place around this huge swing in a meadow, and the heart of it lives in that waiting and wondering space before you decide to jump.

The Whys Get In Trouble is about a girl who asks a lot of questions and eventually gets into trouble for it. It explores that stage in a young person’s life when curiosity is encouraged one moment and not quite so welcome the next. It’s thoughtful, a little humorous, and very familiar to anyone who has spent time in a classroom or with children.

In Maddy’s Towers, the story centers on a young girl who has her trust broken at school and learns how slowly — and carefully — trust is rebuilt. The concept of the tower serves as a way to illustrate how small moments of care accumulate over time. It’s gentle, emotional, and very real.

They were written by a teacher who has spent years listening to how children talk, and how they make sense of school, life and relationships — even the complex ones.

They work well as read-alouds, as conversation starters, and as books children return to on their own. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is explained away. The stories leave room for children to think, ask questions, and notice what’s happening inside themselves.