“Raise: Train Up A Child In The Way” was created in an effort to spread God’s truth in a palatable way for children. We want to encourage people from all nations to see the beauty in God’s word. It’s never too early to teach children to walk in truth and in love. It’s never too early to teach them that God put a light within them and that they’re uniquely special. It’s never too early to teach them that there’s no greater compass than the one God has so graciously provided for us via the Bible. Throughout this book numerous biblical passages are used from various bible translations, this is done to convey a message as clearly as possible. These various Bible quotes coincide in a beautiful collage with the lovely art & poetry. We pray this touches hearts & encourages a fun & joyful reading experience.
What inspired me to write the book?
The catalyst to me creating this book is an amalgamation of things. Though I began writing in the midst of the pandemic, my inspiration began prior to that. Prior to the pandemic, the nation was going through a lot of tension & division based on ehtnicity. This troubled me deeply, then the pandemic came straight after like the perfect storm. This was indeed a time unlike any I had even experienced. For the first time in my life everything was shut down. Schools were shut down, sporting events, concerts and a host of other things. Though it was odd initially, I saw the time as a blessing, because it minimized distractions. The pandemic was also a time for families to unify under one roof, unlike ever before. All the above inspired me to put something positive out via literature.
Target audience?
The target audience for this book is children between the ages of 3 and 12. The beautiful images illustrated by Chidera Uzoka are vibrant & enjoyable for children of all ages. The written content is palatable for the youth, but at the same time edifying for adults as well. The goal with this book was to encourage family reading. The best books are those that parents, adults and children can enjoy.
What do you hope readers get from the book?
The hope that I have is that this book is to point people towards the word of God. Also to spread seeds of positivity to people from all walks of life. I pray that people are led to love, as God intended. A genuine organic love for others, whether they look like us or come from where we come from or not.
Future goals / plans for the book?
Books to me are like seeds in soil. Honestly, I appreciate everyone who has supported this book thus far, as well as those who support it in the future. My goal is to spread love & light. And I am happy to see that those who have read the book have told me they enjoyed it. My goal for the future is to put out other books that I wrote during the pandemic. I wrote about 4 different childrens books during that time. I have a couple brilliant artists in mind that can bring the words to life. I have no tentative dates for those, whenever they’re organically ready to blossom, then they will spring forth. Something else I want to say is this, if you have a dream…invest in it. There are so many people who have aleays had in their hearts to do something, but may be too apprehensive to engage. I am here to tell you firsthand that putting out literature independently is an amazing experience. I mention God earlier, I believe wholeheartedly that He endows us all with gifts. Every person on earth has something that they are uniquely gifted at, far too often people surpress those gifts. Many people are afraid they might fail or that people may not get it. In my opinion we need to look at success differently. Far too often people gage success by what is on television. You see smiling faces on a screen with bags of money, but behind the screen we don’t see the tears. Success is not about money. Success is setting a realistic goal and achieving it. My goal was to put out literature that was positive for children, and by the grace of God I was able to do it. I put out my first book in 2017 and now my second in 2023.
I am here to encourage you, if you have ever wanted to put something positive into the world, by all means go for it. You want to write a book??? Go for it, there is an audience for everyone. There is a ton of people in the world who love reading and love art. There is a ton of people who love & support organic creativity. So by all means go for it. The book that I released isn’t about me, the message within is bigger than me. I am but a speck of sand in an hour glass, but love…love & truth shall live on forever.
