Yishebah Baht-Gavriel, also known as GrandMa Wiso, is a Trinidadian-born writer, blogger, storyteller, and children’s author now resident in England. Her writing is deeply rooted in the warmth of her childhood memories, the rich culture of Trinidad and Tobago, and the lively traditions of family, neighbourhood, school life, music, rhyme, and storytelling.
A lifelong lover of reading and penmanship, Yishebah’s creative journey has been shaped by both her professional and academic experiences. Her background includes psychiatric nursing, psychology, adult teaching in further and higher education, and after-school teaching and learning with children and young people aged 5 to 16. As a former English language tutor, she enjoyed mentoring young students, encouraging their creative writing, and helping them find confidence in their own words.
Her children’s authorship was beautifully rekindled through grandmotherhood. The inspiration for Clever Chrissie and the Mango Stories came from the visual joy of watching her first grandson taste mango for the very first time, awakening her own childhood love of mangoes and the memories attached to them. Through the character of Chrissie and the wisdom of GrandMa Wiso, Yishebah shares stories that celebrate friendship, sharing, imagination, culture, and the joy of learning.
Her books are vivid, colourful, musical, and culturally authentic, bringing Trinidadian life and language to the page in a way that delights and engages young readers. Designed especially for children ages 4 to 7, her work is ideal for nurseries, primary schools, children’s events, playtime gatherings, and family reading.
Yishebah describes herself as “a fun-loving writer” whose childhood stories and memories continue to bubble beneath her adult professional and academic life. For her, writing is more than language, wordplay, skill, or craft. It is a creative and healing act where memory, imagination, and love meet on the page.
