HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY to TWO New Bible-Inspired Books for Children!

What do these two gorgeous books have in common? February 7th, 2023 is their book birthday. (That’s today!) In celebration, author Natalee Creech and I are doing a double interview. First, I’ll ask her a couple of questions and then she will ask me. So, grab some virtual birthday cake (whatever flavor you like) and join us. Let’s get started…

Laura:  Thank you, Natalee, for celebrating our book birthdays together. Your newest book Something: One Small Thing Can Make a Difference, published by WorthyKids, looks absolutely precious. I love its premise of exploring themes of compassion and empathy, encouraging children to take positive action in a needy world. What inspired you to write this book? 

Natalee: In this case, I actually started with the title because I had written a manuscript called Everything and was in the process of publishing Nothing with WorthyKids. I examined Bible verses that contained the word something and chose Matthew 25:35,36 to base the book on. Ultimately both books are both about love: Nothing is about how nothing can separate us from God’s love, while Something is about how we can love others.

Laura: What is your hope for this book as it makes its way into the world today? 

Natalee: I hope that Something inspires us to open our eyes to opportunities to love like Jesus! I hope that it is a starting point for conversations about kindness and compassion but that it doesn’t stop at conversations – that it becomes a daily practice of being observant and acting when prompted by that feeling of compassion.

Laura:  I think that it will be all that and more!  Congratulations, Natalee. And now let’s switch things up and have you interview me. 

Natalee: I’m so glad we get to celebrate our books together, Laura! I love that each story in My Tender Heart Bible has a heart moment that is a toddler-friendly prayer thanking God for something. In a short sentence, you naturally help kids connect the Bible story to their own lives and encourage gratitude. Writing a Bible for children seems like a big responsibility! Is this your first children’s Bible? How did you decide which stories to include? 

Laura: Yes, this is my first collection of Bible stories for children and I agree that it is a big responsibility! I prayed over which stories to include because I really wanted them to fit together as a collection that individually,  and as a whole, would show God’s redemptive love. I also wanted include stories about God’s beloved who were both girls and boys, men and women. That’s how I decided upon Esther’s story, for example. And I wanted six from the Old Testament and six from the New Testament so that the book would be balanced in that way and could be used as an introduction for littlest ones to the whole Bible. And, of course, I had to finish with the story of Jesus’ glorious resurrection!

Natalee: What inspired you to write this book and what is your hope for it as it makes its way into the world today? 

Laura: The book is inspired by memories of sitting with my own children when they were little to read or re-tell Bible stories so they could grasp just how much God loved them. These readings sparked great conversations and ended with what I like to call a “Heart Moment” that connected God’s word to their experience. It is my hope that MY TENDER HEART BIBLE will be read with little ones in homes, churches and schools as a first introduction to the Bible and God’s love.

Natalee: Happy Book Birthday, Laura! May your My Tender Heart Bible be a blessing in the lives of many!

Laura: And the same to you, Natalee!

Learn more about Natalee Creech’s new book here and more about my new book here. All of our books are available wherever books are sold.

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