The simple act of reading to his two young kids each night is how Balgowlah dad, Jamie McKeen, became a successful children’s book author.
“Overtime I noticed something was missing from the bookshelf,” he told Manly Osberver.
“There were plenty of wonderful stories, but very few that helped my kids navigate the world they were actually growing up in.”
Mr McKeen runs a tech consulting/contract business and is the founder of Wild and Seek, an off-grid luxury retreat. Writing children’s books wasn’t exactly his plan.
“Like most parents, I saw screens becoming a bigger part of everyday life for my kids, and I started thinking about habits and balance,” he explained.
“I found myself looking for something that could help guide those conversations in a way kids would actually connect with.”
However, he couldn’t find anything that hit the spot. So instead, he created the Mr Mandem children’s book series.
“I wanted to create something that helped kids recognise those behaviours in a character, rather than being told what to do,” he said.
“And for those books to give parents a natural way to start the conversation.”
The books tackle what kids are dealing with today. Things like screen obsession, fitting in, peer pressure, and identity. Mr McKeen hopes they spark real conversation rather than shutting it down. Each story ends with a set of open questions for parents and children to explore together.
“I’m not a parenting expert,” Mr McKeen added.
“I’m just a dad trying to figure it out, and it turns out a lot of other parents are too.”
Mr Online: The Screen-Obsessed Friend and Mr Flex: The Stylish Star are the first of the series, and despite only being available for four months, they’ve been hugely successful.
Schools in the UK and Australia have used the books for wellbeing and Safer Internet Day programs. They’ve been endorsed by Sue Atkins, BBC parenting broadcaster and UK President of Montessori. And, Mr McKeen was named a finalist in the 2025 Wishing Shelf Book Awards, which is judged by children and teachers.
The books are stocked in over 50 library and 20 retailers nationally, including Harry Hartog.
Or you can head over to Mr McKeen’s website to order one directly from him (and keep an eye out for more books to join the series soon: Mr Loud: The Big Voice Friend, Mr Pattern: The Stuck-in-a-Loop Friend, Mr Watchface: The Hurry-Up Friend).
