What Children’s Writers Do
Some of the most beautiful and important lessons I’ve ever learned were tucked into the pages of children’s books.
From Dr. Seuss and Lewis Carroll, I learned that words could weave worlds of pure whimsy and imagination. Winnie the Pooh taught me that life is simply better with friends. And following the adventures of Nancy Drew proved that curiosity can lead to all sorts of mysteries worth solving.
In the illustrations of Richard Scary and his Busy, Busy World, I learned to delight in the details. From Laura and Mary, Ma and Pa, I began to understand that everyday life is memorable and worth writing about. But my favorite—my all-time favorite—was Jo from Little Women, for she taught me that there was a place for people like me. A place for people who long to be part of the magic of words and the power of phrases. People who never want to lose sight of the wonders of adventure and discovery.
As writers for children that is who we are called to be: seekers of wonders and discoverers of delight. We are the ones who point the next generation of adventurers and explorers to the truths that will guide their lives. We give them the words to frame their experiences and express their emotions.
And as writers of faith, we do much more than that. We show them what is possible, what they could do, and who they could be with God. You see, of all those wonders that the books of my childhood led me to discover, the greatest of all was God.
I didn’t grow up in church, and faith was not a part of my early life. But it was important to that pioneering Ingalls family, and it was the bedrock that sustained the Marches through war and struggle and loss. Even my adventuring hero Nancy Drew went to church.
Those books—and countless others—planted seeds of truth in my heart. So when I was ready at last to set out on my own quest to find God, I realized that I had already learned much about Him from the pages of all those childhood books. And the seeds—planted and nurtured by authors I’d never actually met—bloomed into a faith I couldn’t imagine living without.
That’s what we Christian writers for children do, you know? We’re not just tellers of tales or spinners of stories. We pray as we write, listening carefully for the still, small voice that whispers this word, not that one (1 Kings 19:12, Isaiah 30:21). We take this gift of words we’ve been given and use it to illustrate how delightful it is to know God (1 Peter 4:10, Psalm 37:4). With our simple words we lay out a path for little ones to follow, planting seeds of truth all along the way. And one day, by the grace of God, we will see the blooms.
—Tama