The Toddler Be Good series was created in response to what the author felt was a lack of positive and encouraging books that could assist toddlers to do the practical things they just have to do in a day. Lisa combined her experience as a teacher of early childhood and her experience as a mother to create a resource for parents, child care workers, teachers and other care givers.

The books use teaching techniques and parenting strategies that are positive and focus on the use of games, songs and rhymes. An example of such a technique is the use of positive reinforcement with lots of comments of 'well done' and 'great idea' by the adults to the toddlers in the books.

Other features of the books in the series;

They are age appropriate for toddlers.

The books use simple language with limited text and they are colourful, playful and eye catching. The messages are obvious - there are no hidden meanings and no need to read between the lines to discover the 'moral' of the stories.

They build on toddler's prior knowledge.

All the stories in the books are based on a family in familiar situations. The aim is for toddlers to relate to the books in terms of their own experiences. They can build on their own prior knowledge. This gives the books a better chance for their messages to have meaning and sink in.

They engage toddlers in problem solving.

It is the toddlers, Owen and Pearl, in the stories who have a little think and discover ways to overcome any issues. The intension is to encourage children to come up with their own solutions so they will be more motivated to achieve the desired outcomes.

They are conducive to Role Play.

Puppets are available to assist toddlers to become familiar with the characters in the story. By becoming familiar with the characters toddlers will be more likely to be interested in the books and their messages.

The puppets are also a great resource for early childhood educators and carers who may like to encourage role play in children. They can be used as part of the story telling or in free play time for toddlers.

Positive Reinforcement features highly.

Apart from the positive reinforcement used within the stories in the books, reward charts are also available to encourage children on an individual level (all titles) or in a group situation (Manners and Packing away the toys).

 

Author's background.

Lisa began studying Early Childhood Education in 1988 but got diverted to the Recreation field and completed a degree in Recreation. Lisa worked with both children and people with disabilities over the next decade or so.

In 2003 Lisa decided to go back to her original path and completed a Graduate Diploma in Education - Primary teaching. Over the next 5 years Lisa taught mainly Early Childhood while having and raising her two children.

Both her Recreation and Teaching background combined with her dedication to managing behaviours in a caring, positive and encouraging way have culminated in the practical and fun products in the Toddler Be Good range.