Healthy Harold celebrates two years of Big Books in early learning
Monday, 19 Aug 2024
This Children’s Book Week (17 to 23 August), Life Ed and its iconic mascot Healthy Harold are celebrating two years of using their specially created Big Books to empower children in early years learning centres and pre-schools across the country.
Released in 2022, the Big Books entitled “Harold’s Healthy Day”, “Harold’s Big Feelings” and “Super Safe Harold” were each developed in line with Life Ed’s three early years learning modules, aligned with the national Early Years Learning Framework. The theme of respectful relationships also features throughout this literature, with important concepts like consent introduced in an age-appropriate way.
At Life Ed, we focus on early education because research tells us that educating children before they are exposed to a particular issue gives them the best chance of making informed decisions in the future.
We lay the foundations of many necessary life lessons, like respectful relationships, early through age-appropriate activities like practising and refining how to ask for permission when sharing possessions or personal space, exploring feelings and reactions to scenarios that relate to this, and learning how to respect people's right to say no.
As Life Ed celebrates 45 years of educating children, we’re excited to mark two years of impact with our amazing Big Books! They’re truly special and highlight how we continue to evolve to meet the needs of children, in a way they can engage with and understand.
We lay the foundations of many necessary life lessons, like respectful relationships, early through age-appropriate activities like practising and refining how to ask for permission when sharing possessions or personal space, exploring feelings and reactions to scenarios that relate to this, and learning how to respect people's right to say no.
As Life Ed celebrates 45 years of educating children, we’re excited to mark two years of impact with our amazing Big Books! They’re truly special and highlight how we continue to evolve to meet the needs of children, in a way they can engage with and understand.
The Big Books were authored by Katrina McKelvey, children’s author and former primary school teacher, and illustrated by Kirrili Lonergan, a picture book illustrator and art therapist – both Newcastle locals and proud to see these resources continuing to make an impact nationwide two years on.
Healthy Harold has been a part of my life in so many ways. I first met him when I was a student in the 1980s. I also attended sessions with students when I was teaching at primary schools. And now I’ve proudly authored some of the Life Ed teaching resources! It was an exciting project to have been a part of. Harold has stood the test of time! He’s a fun and valuable teaching tool for students of all ages in so many Australian educational settings.
The big titles are unique in that they are the first Life Ed resources created where we see Healthy Harold as a young child at preschool – an important revelation to encourage engagement with the young children these books are designed for.
Illustrating the three Healthy Harold Early Years Learning program books was such a rewarding experience. I enjoyed the process and challenge of creating a younger version of the existing, familiar Healthy Harold. Attending meetings with the character Healthy Harold was also a highlight. It was an honour to work with such an inspiring and passionate team to bring these large preschool books to life and know that they are being used around Australia to educate children.
The Life Ed team shared the same sentiments about this collaborative effort.
It was a joy working with our children’s literature specialists. Katrina turned the story outlines into rich language that resonates with children and early childhood educators. Kirrili brought the story to life with her charming illustrations of young Harold, his friends and teachers as they face common experiences shared by children aged three to five. The result is magic and so fitting, with this year’s Book Week theme being ‘Reading is magic.
