Retirement is usually a time when people opt to wind down, but one Australian couple has devoted theirs to introducing Pacific Island kids to picture books.

The work of former teacher Karla Vallely and her husband can be found in remote schools and kindergartens across the Solomon Islands.

Dan Vallely, best known for writing the Possum Creek series, said their book Counting’s Fun Where the Sea Meets the Sun was written with a certain audience in mind.

“It was specifically written and illustrated for Pacific Island children because it contained creatures and animals and things that they were familiar with,” he said.

“One of the things is, when we’re dealing with remote communities, those children have never seen a book, so this is their first book.”

Ms Vallely has launched a charity to help improve education in island communities and recently committed to building a kindergarten in Papua New Guinea.

“If we aren’t at a time on this planet to help each other, when will we be?” she said.

‘Children will have a future’

Ms Vallely has always been passionate about educating children and still remembers the empty feeling when the time came to step away from her teaching career.

She began volunteering in schools across the Pacific islands and in 2017 started the Friends of Brilliant Star charity to raise money for resources for schools in the Solomon Islands.

Five years ago she met Mr Vallely and their book collaborations began.

In addition to writing books, including Grumpy Dan’s Weird Garden, the couple have also done a series of fundraisers in Mackay.

They are now working to build their first kindergarten in the remote Papua New Guina village of Aragip, where houses are built from plant materials.

The illiteracy rate in the mountain village is high and there is no access to running water or electricity.

Ms Vallely said the location was chosen after she received a message on social media from resident Mani Waigu.

“He said, ‘You’ve gotta help me. No-one else will. For 30 years nothing’s happened in our village to help our people. If we can do this, it will uplift the community and give them hope that the children will have a future,'” Ms Vallely said.

‘Teach a man how to fish’

At first Ms Vallely believed the task was beyond what she was capable of, but she decided to try and help nonetheless.

Since then she has worked with the community to form a school board, sorted out a land allocation agreement and written the first curriculum, which will be implemented this year.

Ms Vallely has also raised $3,500 to convert the town’s only timber and iron structure into a place of learning.

“We’ve raised funds here in Mackay for the materials for the men to fix up the coffee shed so that the children can use it as a classroom,” she said.

Ms Valelly hopes that bringing the first kindergarten to the community will lead to higher education opportunities – something that is currently very rare.

“If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day,” she said.

“If you teach a man how to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.