Hello, thank you for visiting my website.
My name is Rob Holmes. I like creating stories, inventing products and teaching mindfulness.
Prior to starting my writing career, I co-founded the 'Gro Company' in 2000, home of the now famous Grobag baby sleeping bag.
We had no idea our Grobags would take off in the way they did and after just a few years, we were selling over 500,000 Grobags a year across 26 countries. It was incredible. We are proud too say that not only did we change the way babies were put to bed, we also reduced the UK's cot death rate, because sleeping bags are far safer than traditional loose bedding.
In 2007 I was having a shower, when an idea arrived in my head for a children's clock that would help my son William to know when it was time to get up in the morning. The Gro-Clock was born.
Every Gro-clock still comes with a bedtime story book, called Sleepy Farm. This was my first book for children! There are over 10,000 five star reviews for the Gro-Clock on Amazon and over 3 million Gro-Clocks have been sold to date!
By 2013, it was time to move on and the business was sold. I began a long sabbatical and started getting interested in spiritual issues and meditation. Then the ideas for children's books starting pouring into my head, so I started typing. My first book is called 'The Little Drop of Water'. You can read about this here.
In 2019, I had the idea of creating a wise children's character, called Master Owl. He is mix between Yoda, Master Shifu (from Kung Fu Panda) and Thich Nhat Hanh. Master Owl meets many animals and shares with them a 'Magical Mindful Moment' and their lives are transformed.
My first Master Owl book is a picture book for 3 - 6 year olds. My second book is a chapter book for 7 - 11 year olds. You can read more about my books here:
I am passionate about helping children to learn about the benefits of mindfulness and bringing them age old wisdom, woven into my stories. I have written a whole series of stories for 7 - 11 years olds, as well as more poems for picture books for the 3 - 6 year olds.
Seeking literary agent and publisher!
I am currently looking for the right literary agent and publisher to help me get my books out around the world. Mindfulness for children is getting more and more popular and my hope is that Master Owl will be the teacher with the most impact. If you are an agent or publisher, please let's have a chat. If you know anyone in the industry and you are reading these words, please can you pass my website details onwards. I trust in the way the Universe works...
The Master Owl books are just the start. I am working on Master Owl plush toys, some of which have built in mindfulness meditations and relaxing music. I am developing a pack of mindfulness cards and other Master Owl products. My School Collection is now available! I am also hoping to have a Master Owl animated series, so that children around the world can benefit from his wisdom and mindfulness teaching.
I run my publishing business as a non-profit, choosing to reinvest the money from the book sales back into developing more books and products. I also donate many books to schools.
Learning mindfulness meditation as a young child is such an important skill for life. It's the gift that keeps on giving.
Schools Programme expands online!
I am currently touring Primary, Junior and Prep schools in Devon, reading Master Owl meets Miss Bunny and teaching mindfulness to children aged between 5 and 11 years old. For more information, click here.
I have visited 103 schools so far, taught mindfulness to over 16,500 children and sold over 3,500 books. It's been an amazing start to the tour. I love my job!!!
In the Autumn of 2023, I produced a set of videos, showing what I present on the in-person school visits. Special versions of the films are available for schools. Click here to see my schools programme. Over 55 schools signed up to watch the films during Children's Mental Health week in early February 2024 and I posted out over 12,000 free bookmarks to schools all over the country. I enjoyed Zoom calls with 16 schools during Mental Health Week.
As well as writing, I also love to speak publicly. It's my happy place being in front of a large audience. I get asked to speak about being an entrepreneur and about writing books. All of my talks are motivational, as I share my excitement and energy for life. I am looking for opportunities to speak, like at Ted x events. For more information about my public speaking, click here.
Thank you for being interested in my work. I would love to hear from you.
Please sign up to my newsletter, so I can keep you updated with my various projects, including exclusive access to my latest Master Owl stories.
I will leave you with a letter I received recently from a parent, about both my books. It's why I write - to know I have made a difference.
Much love.
Rob
