Burlington resident Christopher Gordon has big dreams for his brand of educational children’s books and videos, Timothy’s Lessons, and hopes to see his work turn into a TV show some day.
Gordon, who has around 10 years of experience in advertising and creative writing, created the series to give kids a way to learn moral lessons in an engaging way.
“Timothy’s Lessons is all about educating, motivating and inspiring the future generation and developing core values,” he said. “We do this through creative animation and interactive storytelling through our children's books. We believe learning should be an enjoyable and purposeful experience, so we try to find creative ways to connect these lessons to kids so they can learn and apply them in their daily lives.”
The series currently has two children’s books to its name, Courage in the face of bullying and Friendship has no Colour, which deal with standing up for oneself and others when bullying occurs and the value of diversity, respectively.
Gordon has been writing Timothy’s Lessons for several years, and recently began branching out into other mediums in order to increase engagement and to incorporate the skills he’d acquired through a decade working in advertising.
“I had a passion for creative writing and storytelling,” he said. “I would look at the news and see that mental health is a big problem and bullying is still happening today, so I took it upon myself to combine my skillset to make a creative platform to try and make a difference.”
Timothy’s Lessons goes beyond just children’s books, and also includes educational worksheets to expand on the messages in the books and some animations that feature sing-alongs or motivational stories to help develop good habits.
Gordon hopes that the next step for his series will be to create a television show based around the titular Timothy and his friends.
“It’s a whole different way of learning,” Gordon said. “It’s not just learning from a textbook, it’s learning through creativity. As the internet evolves and there’s a lot of negativity on social media platforms, the brand is trying to provide a positive outlet for self-development and growth.”