Friday, August 29 at 10 am, my co-writer Lindsey Blair and illustrator Tessa Janes will read from our book Pastor Daddy at the Lifeway Christian Store in Southern Baptist Theology Seminary here in Louisville. If you’re in the Louisville area, we’d love to see you.
I’ve written a few things about Pastor Daddy, Sojourn’s first children’s book, and linked to some reviews. Below is a great article about it from Kristen Miller (who recently interviewed worship leader Rebecca Elliott for sojournmusic.com). Sojourn first published this article in this month’s news journal, Travelogue:
Connecting the Dots:
Pastor Daddy Draws a Line from Church to Home
by Kristen Miller
Lindsey Blair, mother of three and co-author of newly-published children’s book, Pastor Daddy, takes a seat in the colorful playground room at the 930 building before a group of Sojourn kids and their moms and dads. The kids are sitting cross-legged on the floor, doing their best to contain the wiggles. They’re here for the kick-off of the new SojournKids program, Story Hour, and the official release of Pastor Daddy, the first book created and published through Sojourn Community Church.
Blair addresses the group. “Everybody think about your daddy. What does your daddy do at home?”
After a pause and a low murmur around the room, one voice calls out, “My daddy plays with me and Jacob!” There is a ripple of assent, “Me, too.” “He reads to me.” “My daddy takes me for a special dinner.” One girl in front hesitates with a look of deep secrecy. “Sometimes…my daddy is silly.” This is greeted with appreciation from the group and a one-up from her neighbor, “Well, my daddy… my daddy is the silliest!”
Blair corrals their attention and begins reading Pastor Daddy aloud. The story is short: each of its twelve pages contains one rhyming verse accompanied by a sweetly simple watercolor illustration, depicting a preschool age brother and sister as they participate in church and family devotions with a lively but earnest attentiveness that mirrors the Sojourn kids in the playroom today. The book’s layout illustrates Pastor Daddy’s theme of the home as a “little church”: on the left-hand pages the children attend church where the pastor leads them to pray, praise and hear God’s word. On the right-hand pages they participate in the same activities at home -now led by their “pastor daddy”.
The simple story-telling of Pastor Daddy somewhat disguises the extensive collaborative effort the book has been. From its inception, the central partnership existed between co-authors Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles and illustrator Tessa Janes. However, since May 2007, Pastor Daddy’s many drafts have passed through the hands of Sojourn parents and members as well as most of the church elders. “We received a lot of suggestions and edits,” says Gilles. “Like every other creative endeavor at Sojourn, it was a big team effort.”
The partnership between Gilles and Blair began over a year ago as two separate drafts of a story based on Mark Driscoll’s article, Pastor Dad. “I think the idea for Pastor Daddy was Daniel Montgomery’s,” says Gilles. “He wanted a book primarily for toddlers and pre-schoolers that their parents could also learn from.” Each author submitted a draft to SojournKids director Jared Kennedy for consideration. “Jared wanted a set meter and rhyme scheme, as I had done,” said Gilles, “but he preferred the way Lindsey had grouped the thematic material and arranged the plot,” and so the co-authorship was established.
For both authors, Pastor Daddy is a debut into the arena of children’s literature. Gilles, editor of Travelogue and daily blogger at sojournmusic.com, is probably best known for his worship songs, “Lead Us Back”, “Let Justice Roll Like a River” and more than a few others. As for writing for children, the list is shorter. “I did write a worship song for SojournKids last year,” says Gilles, “but that was my only preparation. I find it harder to write for children -to make things simple, but not simplistic.”
Blair is new to writing for publication but has ample familiarity with her target audience. “My primary experience comes as a result of teaching elementary students,” says Blair. Her expertise was called on throughout the development of the book. “I listened to Lindsey’s advice,” says Gilles. “She worked with me on writing things that wouldn’t be too abstract or go over the kid’s heads.”
“We passed the drafts back and forth multiple times,” says Blair, “and we made various changes based on each other’s input.” Decisions were made regarding thematic material and age-appropriateness as well as structural techniques. The choice of short, rhyming verses was made early on. “We all agreed that this would be the best style, knowing the book was geared toward preschool age children,” says Blair. “The meter is known in hymnody as ‘common meter’,” says Gilles, “The reason this cadence works is that it’s so natural to roll off the tongue. Kids have an easier time memorizing it this way.”
This is certainly true. Countless studies and historical anecdotes point to the usefulness of rhythm and rhyme as a memory aid -from the Psalms to Shakespeare to name-all-fifty-states songs. However, easy memorization isn’t the only advantage of the common meter. “I wrote the verses as if they were a hymn,” says Gilles. “So for instance, you could sing Pastor Daddy to the tune ‘Amazing Grace’, ‘House of the Rising Sun’, and the ‘Gilligan’s Island’ theme.” And we highly recommend that you do. The result is indeed memorable.
Pastor Daddy is well worth memorizing. Besides fulfilling the mission stated in its preface of “teaching the Christian doctrine of the home as a ‘little church’,” the book also integrates a number of gospel-centered elements like God’s love, salvation, obedience, prayer and worship -all neatly packaged into kid-friendly, two-line bites. “Everything goes together,” says Gilles, “because, as with all of Sojourn’s ministries, the gospel is central to everything we do.”
Certainly the book is not as simple as it first appears, every page contains an idea that may develop into a rich conversation with a child (or adult, for that matter) -all of which point back to the gospel. “Our children should see that we never move beyond the gospel once we become Christians,” says Blair. “It becomes a daily part of our lives at church and at home.”
Once the written story was completed, Tessa Janes, whose background in art ranges from watercolor to photography to ceramics, entered the picture as illustrator. “Partnering with her was as easy as could be,” says Gilles. “I can’t draw at all, so her talent is like magic to me.”
Janes also incorporated into the project some insight from her degree in psychology. “At this stage of their development, children are constantly seeking information,” says Janes. “They absorb everything they see and hear. It seems that the children’s book industry mainly seeks to sell products. However, this book teaches basic truths. I think the pictures allow children to connect the ideas with words.”
In developing the style and medium for Pastor Daddy, Janes drew inspiration from Gilles’ and Blair’s writing. “The verse was very simply written, so I kept the illustrations simple as well,” says Janes. “The gospel is a simple and clear message, and Pastor Daddy helps connect the dots between the role of the gospel at church and at home. It was very satisfying to illustrate.”
Janes met monthly with the authors through the project’s end, when she presented the final paintings. For Lindsey Blair this is when all the pieces came together. “As I looked at the drawings, I remember thinking, ‘These are perfect!’” she says. “I could immediately picture myself reading the book to my children.” And this morning at Story Hour, to a roomful of Sojourn girls and boys, that’s just what she did.
