A story from my mom’s childhood was turned into a children’s book! What a delightful way to share family history! My mom doesn’t talk much about herself so when she shared this story, I wanted to document it and this was a memorable way for her grandchildren and posterity. 

My 11 year old niece was visiting as I was working on a digital copy of the book. I read it to her and she gave me suggestions on it since she also likes writing and illustrating stories. The next time she visited, she wanted to see the story again! It was neat to see her interest. She read the story out loud. I told her I took her suggestion for the larger font size.  

The story is about my mom as a young girl wanting a birthday party with friends, which her family never had. Her mother said yes, but only if she gave away her gifts to Primary Children’s Hospital. It wasn’t easy for her to give away her gifts.

A friend illustrated the story. If you don’t have such a friend, there are websites where one can choose a children’s illustrator or a great option is to ask a grandchild or family member to illustrate the story.

This story was “based on a true story.” I added dialog, description, and details to make it more interesting. The extra details, instead of taking away from the story, helped absorb one into it, so the true emotions that were there long ago were brought to light. At the back of the book, I summarized which parts were directly from my mom’s account.

I was glad to also shine light on Christ in the midst of what was happening. My grandmother had her daughter give away her gifts because my grandmother was continually thinking of others, as Christ would have done.  

Taking a family history account and turning it into a children’s story helps the story come alive in such a fun way for younger generations!  

-Reta Van Orden