Young children thrive on routine and ritual, and a Bible story at bedtime is one of the best! Plus, what could be better for a child at bedtime than to fall asleep with stories and verses from the Bible to dream on?

I’m pleased to tell you about my new book, Words to Dream On: Bedtime Bible Stories and Prayers, illustrated by Diane Le Feyer and published by Tommy Nelson.

You can preorder now. The book releases February 3.

I love creating engaging books based on the Bible that children want to return to again and again! An age-appropriate Bible storybook makes such a good entry point for children to engage with God’s Word.

When the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, he noted that Timothy’s faith began with his mother and grandmother and with the Scripture they taught him: “From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Sometimes parents get introduced to God and the Word through a good Bible storybook too!

I always want to tell the whole Bible story, from Genesis to Revelation, in any Bible storybook. For Words to Dream On, I especially wanted to include stories that would help create a strong sense of security in God’s love. All the stories in the book focus on God—his power, his protection, his promises, his loving care, his plan. For example, in the story of the fall of Jericho, after the walls fall down, I didn’t write about the battle, but how the Israelites could now keep moving forward in the Promised Land that God was giving them.

Each story has a Bible verse, called Words to Dream On. There’s also a Sleepy-Time Prayer and a Bedtime Blessing.

I first learned about blessings from the work of John Trent and Gary Smalley. They describe five aspects of giving a blessing: special touch, a spoken message, words of high value, picturing a special future, and active commitment. The blessings in Words to Dream On summarize the message of the stories, so they are statements based on God’s Word about the child’s relationship with God. When parents read the blessings aloud, they are speaking a message of high value about the child and his future. (For more about blessings, see my post “How to Speak Blessing to Your Child” on DianeStortz.com.)

Illustrator Diane Le Feyer is a young freelance artist and animator. She was such a blessing to have on this project! I especially enjoyed how she portrayed Jesus in the book, and how she kept track of all twelve disciples!

You can view a Words to Dream On sampler here.

Sweet dreams!

DIANE

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