Seeds of love

When and why did I start writing children’s stories?

I started creating stories about 23 years ago, to entertain my children when they were little.

When and why did I decide to carry on writing children’s stories?

After all my children had grown up and left home, I decided to find the stories I wrote for them all those years ago. Then, to keep myself busy and to feel close to my children, I started to write new stories.

Why am I still writing stories and what does a career as a children’s author mean to me?

The four stories that I wrote for my children when they were little, along with the six stories I wrote when they had all left home became the ten stories that were published as my first book series, “Animal Adventures”. After that, I was blessed to have another three book series published, namely, “Bug stories”, “Sea stories” and “Farm-tastic”. Each of these book series contain 10 books. I am still writing children’s stories because I know it is what I am meant to do. To me writing children’s books is so much more than a career it is a calling

My stories are crafted to entertain and definitely meant to make children smile, but they also contain valuable life lessons. I see my stories as ‘seeds of love’. When children hear or read them, these seeds of love are sown into their precious little hearts.

Let’s talk a little more about my stories, these ‘seeds of love’.

There are so many things children struggle with like sharing, being honest, being patient, understanding that rules are there to help and not harm them, forgiving and so much more. My stories help children to adopt values that will equip them to deal with these challenges as well as in various other ways in their daily lives. Through these stories children learn things like they don’t have to be the best at everything, they only have to do their best, that it is okay to be different, that everyone has a purpose, that we are all special, that it is okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from them and so much more. So you see, my stories are far more than just stories, they really are ‘seeds of love’.

Although my stories contain valuable lessons, I am careful to write them in a way so that children do not feel they are being preached to. Rather, they find themselves thoroughly entertained and are able to relate to the delightful story characters who show children how they can benefit from being positive, forgiving and so on. Thanks to the fun stories and story characters, children find themselves adopting these values and morals without having to be told to. This gives children a feeling of accomplishment and makes them feel proud.

I want every one of my stories to leave children and parents with happy hearts. I truly hope that my stories will help create not only wonderful bonding moments but also lasting memories between parents and children, teachers and students, and also between children and other family members. It is also my hope that these stories will help children to gain a love of reading.

My goal is for my children’s books to touch and benefit little lives. I am sowing seeds of love, one story at a time.

May every ‘seed of love’ sown in a child’s heart be to the glory of God.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”— Dr. Seuss, ‘I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!’

Jacqui Shepherd Children’s Author with some of her delightful book characters.