🏁 The Story Behind Ready Steady: A Toddler, a Starting Line, and a Forgotten Well Known Phrase

I wrote a book about a toddler who forgets what to say at the starting line of a race. That’s it. That’s the plot.

Okay, fine — there’s a little more to it.

Ready Steady is my first children’s picture book, and it was inspired by two things:

1. My daughter Lyra

2. The fact that parenting is essentially a long series of Olympic events you never trained for

You see, in our house, “Ready… Steady…” is practically a lifestyle. It’s how we launch everything — meals, bath time, races, running laps around the sofa, trying to put socks on a moving child, and dramatic performances involving laundry baskets.

And the third word? It changes. Sometimes it’s “BATH!” Sometimes “JUMP!” Sometimes it’s “RICE CRISPIES!” because, you know, breakfast is serious business.This little ritual turns even the most ordinary moments into something playful. It’s our way of adding joy to the everyday — a verbal drumroll for toddler life. And one day, Lyra surprised me by joining in.

“Ready… Steady…” Pause…Big eyes… And then a very confident: “TOOT!”

(She’s also tried “OAT BAR,” “RAISINS,” “SPOON,” and once — inexplicably — “NEIGH.” We don’t have a horse.)

That was the spark. A funny moment, a real moment, and underneath it all, the kind of moment that makes you think about what’s going on inside those brilliant little brains.

💡 The Forgetting Bit

At around 15 to 18 months, I noticed Lyra starting to get frustrated when things didn’t go her way — when a toy lid wouldn’t open, when a puzzle piece didn’t fit, when life simply refused to cooperate with her grand plans. (Relatable.)

Now that she’s 22 months old, that frustration shows up more often. Not always. Not dramatically. But enough that I wanted to write something that felt true. Something that says:

“Hey, it’s okay to forget.It’s okay to get it wrong.What matters is that you keep trying.”

That’s why in Ready Steady, Lyra forgets the magic third word. Again and again. Not in a heartbreaking, toddler-meltdown kind of way — but in a light, honest, oh-so-familiar way. Until one day, she remembers it… when it counts.

🏃‍♀️ Winning Isn’t the Point (But Running Is)

Here’s something I love: in the book, we never find out if Lyra wins the race. And that’s deliberate. Because this story isn’t about being first or fastest. It’s about doing it.It’s about showing up.It’s about the little cheer that lives inside a toddler when they try something hard — and do it anyway.

(Although for the record, I think Lyra wins in spirit. And that’s the best kind.)

🎉 The Real Lyra Behind the Story

So much of this book came from real life. From those “Ready… Steady…” moments in our kitchen. From Lyra’s tiny voice echoing mine with her own twist. From the simple joy of watching her grow into someone who wants to try again.

That’s what Ready Steady is really about:Perseverance.Playfulness.And the big-hearted brilliance of toddlers who forget, fumble, try again — and find their way.

Even if that way ends with “toot.”