Jane Ting is a Mornington Peninsula mum of three, author of the children’s picture book series, Zac’s Happy Planet, and a sustainability advocate.
Jane initially studied Education at University in the UK as well as teaching students as a lecturer at York College. Jane had an entrepreneurial drive at an early age, opening her own hair and beauty salon at nineteen. Jane’s career headed to London, where she worked on amazing projects, in West End Theatre productions, T.V. and Movies. One of those movies was, ‘Love Actually’ as Keira Knightley’s hair and make-up artist.
Jane always had a yearning to travel and, after deciding to leave London, she embarked on a career in Super Yachting where she worked with A-list celebrities and some of the world’s leading business figures. Travelling around the globe many times gave her exposure to remote and interesting parts of the world. Whilst witnessing what was happening to the environment, she instantly knew she wanted to dedicate herself to making a change and channelled her beliefs and sustainable knowledge into relatable children’s picture books. Jane always enjoyed creating poems for friends’ birthdays, weddings, parties, and retirements, which led her to study creative writing.
Recently launched, ‘Beach Clean-up Adventure,’ is the third book in Zac’s Happy Planet series. This book encourages children to immerse themselves in the outdoors, with a realistic storyline that connects with kindness, courage, teamwork and sharing that every child can relate to. “Inspired by my children and their friends collecting microplastics, nurdles (small lentil-sized pieces of plastic) and beach waste, I was so impressed by the children’s dedication, particularly having competitions to see who could collect the most nurdles! This enthusiasm flows through to parents becoming more involved in environmental issues,” Jane adds.
A friend mentioned to Jane, “I never would have known about nurdles or micro-plastic if you hadn’t been collecting them. Now I can’t stop looking for them.” Hearing this had an amazing impact on her.
Jane explains, “My passion is driven by aspiring to make a difference for children; my children’s generation and the generations that follow. I am reminded daily of my aim which continually delivers me the motivation to help create positive changes in the world.”
Jane loved becoming a Mum and has spent many wonderful evenings snuggled up reading to her three boys. Jane believes that fostering an awareness of environmental topics from an early age is crucial to the health of our planet.
Her first book, ‘Soft Plastic to Things Fantastic,’ touches on caring, kindness and teamwork across all ages. Zac, the main character, is on the lookout to make our world a better place by introducing to his grandparents ways of recycling which have far-reaching impacts.
At the end of last year, ‘Plastic Bottle, How Can You Change?’ was released. Zac and his friends demonstrated to their teacher in a class presentation some alternative, sustainable, options that can replace plastic bottles. The characters sing a catchy song, that children sing along to, spreading the word about pioneering ideas like plant-based edible packaging.
“Allyson Terrill is the talented illustrator for Zac’s Happy Planet books,” says Jane. “After we became friends at our children’s preschool, this friendship naturally evolved into a working relationship.”
“I love working with Allyson; we articulate the story alongside each other, caring deeply for the outcome. The vibrant illustrations, which are beautifully detailed with such artistic precision, are the result. I feel so lucky to have met Allyson; it’s such a pleasure working together. These entertaining stories are all about the messages delivered within the narrative alongside the stunning illustrations.”
Bringing a sustainable touch to celebrations throughout the year saw Jane showcase her Christmas ideas last year on National TV with the Studio 10 program.
Jane is involved in various projects, general talks and working with children in schools, whether it’s discussing the book publishing process, environmental topics, reading or fundraising.
Jane adds, “I am very passionate about raising awareness through literature and how we can all try and educate ourselves and our children to start making small steps. Zac’s Happy Planet is an exceptional series that all children should be introduced to. I am very excited to share more titles in Zac’s Happy Planet and these will adventures to follow shortly.”
janeting.com
zacshappyplanet.com