So Many Words for Me to Be

Jayneen Sanders (aka Jay Dale) is an experienced Australian early years educator, children’s book author, and publisher. She began her teaching career in the 1980s as a primary school teacher in rural Queensland, Australia, before moving to Melbourne, Victoria, where she taught at several inner-city schools.

In 1985, Jayneen transitioned to a career as an educational editor and publisher. In the early 1990s, she moved to Japan with her partner to work as English teachers, living there for over three and a half years, during which time her first daughter was born.

Upon returning to Australia, Jayneen began working as an educational author/packager, authoring and producing numerous award-winning titles for the educational publishing industry. She is also an accomplished children’s book author, with titles for literacy series such as ZigZags, Totally Kidz, Deadly and Incredible, and a children’s picture book series for Penguin.

Currently, Jayneen is the lead author of the ‘Engage Literacy’ series, published by Capstone, for which she has written over 150 titles.

As a mother of three daughters and a former school councillor of over seven years, Jayneen’s experiences in schools inspired her to address child protection. Realizing the limited focus on this issue, she utilized her skills to write ‘Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept’ to assist parents, carers, and teachers in discussing inappropriate touch and encouraging children to speak up.

Following the positive reception of ‘Some Secrets Should Never Be Kept,’ Jayneen recognized the need for further prevention education. She completed Protective Behaviours professional development and attended numerous conferences on child safety, focusing on age-appropriate and empowering body safety and consent education.

Jayneen subsequently developed and published a comprehensive Body Safety and Respectful Relationship Teacher’s Resource Kit and authored more children’s books on topics including body safety, consent, respect, gender equality, social and emotional intelligence, and diversity and inclusion.

Jayneen currently co-runs Educate2Empower Publishing with her partner, Mark Sanders. Her dedication to the safety and empowerment of children continues, with new manuscripts and free resources consistently in development.

Born in 1992, the author grew up in a small family where a love for art emerged early. They were always painting, especially during summer days. A fond childhood memory involves watching “Anne of Green Gables” and sketching scenes from the show, filling sketchbooks and covering pages with transparent tape to mimic picture books, a playful habit that marked the beginning of their illustrating journey.

As they matured, the author explored various materials and styles, spending years captivated by Farshchian paintings and delving into oil painting in the miniature style, learning the importance of meticulous detail. During this period, they earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial and business management, respectively. Five years spent with an exceptional marketing team provided invaluable experience in schedule management and meeting deadlines, skills that have proven essential as a freelance illustrator.

The pandemic provided an opportunity to focus more intently on their passion, leading to the launch of a bedtime story app for children. Within two months, they illustrated 60 images, a project that ignited a profound passion for picture book illustration.

Currently based in Canada with their husband, the author acknowledges the challenges of making a living from art but feels fortunate to have never abandoned their passion. Despite occasional difficulties, they are consistently reminded of their childhood dreams, finding happiness on this creative journey.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.