Have you seen Early Foundations Publishers’ new book, Bible Stories for the Very Young? Bright, colorful pictures combined with simple text introduce young children to well-known Bible stories at a level they can easily understand. Following is a brief interview with Heidi Schipper, the author of this book.
What inspired you to write Bible Stories for the Very Young?
When my first two children were ages 1 and 2, I wanted a Bible story book that I could read to them without having to paraphrase in my own words. After searching, I realized that there was a need for a Bible story book for toddlers and young children that was both biblically sound and had appropriate illustrations. I was not comfortable with the cartoonish illustrations in the available Bible story books for toddlers. I thought to myself, “Well, if I can’t find a book that I like, I will just write one!”
How did you choose which Bible stories to include in this volume?
My goal is to cover the “main” stories in the Bible that are appropriate for very young children. This first volume starts at the beginning of Genesis. I hope to work chronologically through the Bible in future volumes, the Lord willing.
Where did you get ideas for illustrations and which illustrator to use?
First, I looked through as many children’s Bible story books as I could find. I took note of what styles I liked and did not like. I knew the illustrations had to be simple enough that they wouldn’t overwhelm small children, yet I didn’t want them to be cartoonish. Then I began to search for an illustrator who could create what I was looking for. After seeing a few samples of Sena Wilson’s work, I felt that she would be the best illustrator for the job. All of her work is done digitally, which allowed for quicker and easier revisions.
What do you enjoy about writing?
Writing is an art. Finding just the right words and crafting them into a story that is pleasing for children to listen to is enjoyable to me.
What is most difficult about writing a book?
For this book, the challenge was keeping it simple enough, while still including the important details of each story. Also, working out illustration details and requesting multiple revisions for many of the illustrations was challenging and quite time consuming.
Did anyone influence you to begin writing?
My husband was my biggest supporter. He convinced me to start the project and encouraged me to keep going even when there were delays and challenges along the way! Many of my family members also helped by proofreading and giving constructive feedback on the illustrations.
Do you have plans to write any more Bible story books? If so, how many volumes would you like to have in this series?
Yes, I do hope to write more books. The original plan was to have four volumes, but we’ll see…! We are taking it one volume at a time.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your family.
Previously, I taught at Plymouth Christian Elementary School for 8 years. I now have four children who are ages 2, 4, 6 and 8. I currently enjoy being a stay-at-home mom and have traded grading papers for doing laundry, making meals, and keeping up with four active children. As a child, I often dreamed of being an author. Writing this book was finally putting into action something I’ve always wanted to accomplish. May God receive the glory!