Our Story

A book born from real experience — and a lot of love.

Jack & Choonia didn't start in a publishing house. It started in the front seat of a car, in a hospital waiting room, and on a sidewalk in Toronto — in the lived experience of two mothers who knew firsthand how quickly a road can change a life.

Meet the authors

Daria Leheida

Daria is a mother, writer, and family blogger focused on personal brand development and family-centred projects. In her life, she experienced two motor vehicle accidents: one in childhood, and another as an adult — already a mother. These experiences deeply shaped her understanding of how essential road safety education is, and how early it needs to start.

Through travelling with children across different cities and countries, Daria brought her personal experience into Jack & Choonia — so that through play and positive storytelling, children can learn essential safety rules wherever they may be.

Follow Daria: @family_in_toronto

Inga Tkachenko Ramage

Inga is a speaker, mother, and writer with many years of experience supporting people affected by road traffic accidents. Since 2009, she has been guiding individuals through their recovery after accidents — drawing not only on her professional expertise, but on her own lived experience as a road accident survivor.

She is a co-owner of medical centres specialising in motor vehicle collisions, and co-founder of a nonprofit organisation dedicated to accident prevention and improving road safety. Her professional and personal journey became the foundation for the Jack & Choonia project — created to help parents build awareness while teaching children the importance of safety through simple, kind stories.

Follow Inga: @inga_tkachenko_ramage

Why we wrote this book

This book is dedicated to everyone whose life has been touched, changed, or forever impacted by a road collision. To those who once said: "If I had a book like this in my childhood… maybe that day would have turned out differently."

We sincerely hope this book speaks to every reader and, one day, helps someone make the right choice at the right moment.

We are grateful to our children — Reya, Yeva, Lev, Ben, and Ellie — for their genuine interest in road safety and for becoming the heart of this story. And to every parent holding this book in their hands: you understand better than anyone how important it is to stay safe on the road, and how essential it is to teach this from early childhood.

INGA EDUCATES — our mission beyond the book

A portion of every book sale is directed toward supporting educational road safety initiatives through INGA EDUCATES.

Road safety does not happen by accident. It takes knowledge, awareness, and community. Every time you remind yourself or someone else to buckle up, wear a helmet, or look both ways — you pass the torch of safety forward.

When you buy this book, you don't just give a child a story. You help teach road safety to families who may not have access to it.

The team behind the illustrations

The beautiful world of Jack & Choonia was brought to life by illustrator Yekaterina Borovskaya — for her creative flow, her tenderness toward each character, and for bringing Jack and Choonia to life through her extraordinary talent.

Special thanks to Svetlana Efimenko, whose tremendous contribution made printing this book possible.

Connect with us

We’d love to hear from you — especially if this book made a difference for your family.