My name is Kate Sydnor and I am the author of a new children’s bed time book titled Goodnight, Jesus published by EWTN and Sophia Institute. Goodnight, Jesus is a beautiful book meant to highlight God’s blessings in our life. Each page has a different bible verse written in child friendly language. The illustrations are meant to be in blue and green tones to promote calmness in your night-time routine! The book is also a board book, so even the smallest of hands can make it theirs. My children love to hold and manipulate books, and I really envisioned that in my decision making!
Reading to children is one of my favorite things in this world to do. Maybe it’s my Elementary Education background, the fact I have three younger sisters, or that I’ve been babysitting since before I could even drive. Through my experience, I have found that reading to children at a young age is not only developmentally important but also a beautiful teachable moment between children and caregivers. During these one on one moments reading with my children, I have found the best opportunities to teach a little lesson that seems to have a huge impact and carry onto other aspects of their lives.
I have always wanted to write a children’s book. Reading has always been a great joy of mine, even as a kid. As I got older, I found my calling to be working with children and was led into a career of teaching. I always saw the need for more Catholic children’s books but never felt the importance to put pen to paper until recently. When I became a wife and then mom, I found the inspiration needed. I had a few nudges over the years, colleagues and coworkers saying “Hey! You should write a children’s book”, and my husband’s encouragement was the final nudge I needed to get started.
Being a mom is the biggest blessing of my life. Of course, it has its challenges, as do all things in life. I have two children, 15 months apart, who I have read to every night since they were in my womb. Each night, we read 2-3 books and say prayers. I use to choose the books, but now that they are 2 & 3 and have their own opinions; they like to choose the books. Putting them to bed is honestly my favorite part of the day because it is where I get great, quality, uninterrupted one on one time with each of them. Of course, the sweet snuggles are a plus too! After reading, we do nightly prayers together. At first, our nightly prayers started out as saying the Our Father, Hail Mary and then we would thank God for the day. One night, my children wanted to add and started thanking God for “our next door neighbor”, and “our chalk and bubbles too”. They love listing off various things that they were grateful for that day. It really put things into perspective to me; sometimes I only remember to give thanks to God when something really big happens but the truth is His goodness is in everything!
After we put our kids to bed each night, my husband and I turn off the TV and phones and have 15 designated minutes to talk about our day. 15 minutes may not seem like much, but it works for us as a way to communicate at the end of every day. During this moment one night, the thought came to me to combine our nightly prayers and gratitude lists into a book and my husband encouraged me to starting writing that my ideas out that night.
My children teach me so much about slowing down and focusing on what’s important in life. Sometimes because they demand my attention in the moment during a meltdown, and other times they find joy in the little things such as stopping our walk to jump in the rain puddles. They teach me that God’s goodness can be found in everything, even the smallest of things that we tend to walk right by. They teach me find joy in what’s right in front of me, not worrying about things beyond my control. And that’s what this book is all about! I hope you can see it too, that Jesus is with us always and even in the mundane ordinary things we can find great joy.
I believe introducing children to Jesus young is so important and a great way to do that is through reading! Whether we like it or not, our children are exposed to more at a much earlier age than I ever was. The earlier they start their own faith journey and start building their own relationship with Jesus, I believe the better they will be able to react and understand the world around us. My relationship with Jesus helps me in times of doubt and times where the world doesn’t make sense, and I want my children to feel that as well. You can lean onto Jesus for all your questions, all your troubles, and all your joys. There should be an urgency in getting more Catholic and Christian books on bookshelves and into the homes of all families. One small introduction to Jesus can be life changing and my hope is that this book can be a help to that. Jesus changed my life and I believe He can change everyone’s.
Goodnight Jesus is available from Sophia Institute Press.
