Growing a Love of God on the Farm with Sarah Philpott

Sarah Philpott shares with BookWorthy the heart and joy of her lift-flap book, Wake Up Little Seed.

Don't forget to join in the Middle Grade March Madness LIVE on YouTube 2/20 at 12 PM CDT

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Valerie - Welcome to Bookworthy, where we talk about the heart behind the books your kids are reading. Today, we're talking with award-winning author Sarah Philpott. Sarah is a proud cattle farm wife and mom of four, sharing how she is learning to cherish God's provisions in joy and sorrow. She is the author of Loved Baby, 31 Devotions Helping You Grieve and Cherish Your Child After Pregnancy Loss, as well as the board book, Moo Moo Nap Nap. and her latest children book, Wake Up, Little Seed, a lift flap board book that connects children with real life plant science and invites toddlers to the process of growth as part of God's detailed plans. Welcome to Bookworthy, Sarah.

Sarah - Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here.

Valerie - It's fun to have you. I don't know if you remember, but we met at the in-game press conference. I was in Florida a couple of years ago. And so, I was like, wait, I know this person. So it was fun to connect on a different, in a different place. So.

Sarah - Yes! It is, it is. It's going to connect the dots again.

Valerie - Yes, well, to start us off, we start with our random question of the week, which is what is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

Sarah - The most unusual thing I've ever eaten. I will eat almost anything by choice, but I think the most unusual thing I've ever eaten is something I didn't eat by choice. We were hiking on our farm, and in Tennessee, where I live, we have these horrible little bugs called stink bugs. And somehow, while we were walking, one got in my mouth. And so when you just ask that question, that is the instant response that I had, memory was the stink bug. A total accidental digestion and absolutely horrible.

Valerie - My goodness. Yeah, there's something about, you know, they say chocolate-covered crickets and stuff is, you know, good. I'm like, you know, there's something about those little legs that just, don't do it for me. Yep. They're called stink bugs for a reason. I'm sure. Well, too fun. Sarah, tell us a little bit about your book, Wake Up Little Seed.

Sarah - So Wake Up Little Seed is my newest book that's coming out, and it is an absolutely precious little book. It has so many rich details in it. A lift the flat book so kids are going to have so much fun, and parents are just discovering what's behind the flaps. But what this book, the heart of this book, is one day I was on our farm and I'm constantly reminded of the planting process, the growth process, and the harvest process.

 My little children sometimes ask questions about how we get this flower. How do we get this zinnia? Even though they're right here in this process. And it just reminded me how magical growth is. Where children are gonna think this is, you just tuck it in the ground, and then so many days later, a little stem's gonna emerge. And for them, it might appear to be magic, but for us, we know it's a grand plan from God. And so the inspiration for this book was just to remind children, introduce children, remind parents, introduce parents, some parents, that it is God who gives the growth.

Valerie - I love that. It's one of those. I'm a big kind of science nerd in one sense, and I love digging in my garden and having my kids alongside me, and they're asking all these wonderful questions. And it's one of those things we forget what is innate and what we have been taught. And it's so fun to see God show up in all the little things, little seeds, little flowers, bugs even.

Sarah - Yes, absolutely. I mean, from tucking the seed in the ground to watching it grow, to seeing the rain come and help water the plant, God is in every single little detail. And most books that I've read with my children, the books skip over the God part completely. So we systematically, in this book, break down from reading the land with Mr. Farmer and his family, all the way to enjoying the treats of the harvest around the table. And it's just such a precious book that I think children are going to absolutely adore.

Valerie – I’ve seen some of the lift flap elements, and I love how you introduce God as the grower. He's the one in charge of it all, and there are details even when it doesn't seem like anything is going on. Because I know that the hardest part of growing things with my kids is the waiting time between planting the seed and getting any sign of life. And those are just sweet truths that you've woven into this book just for young kids to realize that God is a part of it all. He's a part of the waiting. He's always working. And it was true, even I, as an adult, I'm like, okay, I need to be reminded of this. And I think even when I was a young mom, the kids' books were like the sweetest devotional times that I had with the Lord. Just those little moments you're reading to your kids and say, repeating to yourself that there are these simple truths that we need to remember. It's lots of fun. Now you have written both devotionals and some picture books. What made you kind of make the switch between the two?

Sarah - I think it was definitely God's plan in this. When I started writing, I was a former teacher, and my oldest child is 15 years old, and my youngest is five, so I've been around children's books really hard and heavy for almost two decades. And so my heart was always to write children's books. That's what I wanted to do. But God had a different plan. And my first book was a ministry for women who've experienced pregnancy loss.

So I wrote that devotional, and God had just really impressed on my heart that that was what I was supposed to do at the time. And then I had another devotional come out, The Growing Season, a year of Down on the Farm devotions. And that was a wonderful time to minister to women in their daily and weekly walk with the Lord. And getting to switch to kids has been such an absolute delight. I love writing devotions, but I also love writing children's books,

especially because I get to go and read the books with the kids, and it's something that I get to snuggle up and read with my own children. So, my first children's book was Moo Moo Nap Nap, and that came out last year with Engame press, and it's just a sweet little reminder of how important nap time is, and we go out on the farm and we look at all the animals as they're taking a nap and then the children can be tucked into bed knowing that. Rest is just a part of our rhythmic cycle of life. Even the animals rest, and now it's time for us to rest our little heads. So the writing is similar in that you are trying to take this really big concept and put it into a little, small piece where someone can read it and understand it. So I think children's books, in a way, are a little bit more challenging because you have so few words that you get to explain a topic.

Valerie - I find that's true about children's books is people think it's easy and it's just simple, but you have to create like in an, you take a novel, which is usually, you know, 300 pages. Well, you have to put that down into like 500 words, and you're like, okay. And it still has to be just as resonant and just as powerful as a 300-page book. And so there's definitely a knack and a struggle with getting, making your words count, which is a good thing.

Sarah - It is, it is. Especially with Wake Up, Little Seed, I wanted to be able to take little readers through the entire process of growth. So I had to make a list of every single step. And I didn't want to leave anything out. I wanted to make sure that the little readers saw the bees that help pollinate, the rain, the puddles, the harvest, every single little aspect of it. And I think what is wonderful about children's books, though, is that you not only have the words, you have the illustrations. And so when the illustrator comes alongside, they can create a visual of the words. It's just this beautiful, beautiful symphony that occurs.

Valerie - It's a very sweet process for certain. And did you get to work with your illustrator or talk to her about the illustrations, or was that kind of on the other side?

Sarah - It was on the other side. Tyndale House was wonderful, as they showed me several different art styles, and I was able to be in on the process of what the book might look like. And then they also asked me to have pictures so that they could come see what was in my mind and my imagination for the book. But then they took those ideas, and I guess they matched me with an illustrator. And although I've never spoken with her, I just have to say she captured this book absolutely most marvelously and beautifully. And so it was, it was like a Christmas surprise when into my inbox came the illustrations and the proofs.

Valerie - It makes the whole story come to life. So you know, have your imagination that can do many, many things, but you know, a children's book just kind of puts it right in front of you where you can't miss any detail and you can sit and stare at it for a long time and find the little bees and little bugs and raindrops and count those things and really engage with the story, which I think is why children's books are so powerful.

Sarah - They are. And one funny little story, because I know your listeners enjoy the behind-the-scenes of books and all the small details. I was just so impressed with Tyndall House, even though they had debates amongst themselves and brought me in on it on whether the worm in one of the Lift the Flaps should have eyes because everything else is very true and real. And should this worm have a little smile and have little eyes on it, should it be cartoonized just a little bit? And so we went back and forth on that. And so it was fun to even be a part of that process of how much attention to detail the process of creating a book is, that everybody involved wants it to be absolutely as spectacular as possible.

Valerie - It's funny, it publishers kind of get a bad rap sometimes, you know, they're just about the business. They're just about the money, but there is a lot of heart. To every page that a lot of publishers do. And I love that about Tyndall House as well. Now, Sarah, you said you were an educator. Now, did you ever want to be an author? Was that ever in the plan?

Sarah - It was not anything I ever dreamed could even be achieved. So when I was little, I would always write stories. My fourth-grade teacher, Miss Green, would write You know, the sweetest little things in the margins about how this was just such a fabulous story. And although she probably did that with everyone, it's just those little bitty encouragements that just help me keep, you know, pressing forward. And I remember as a child at Mountain View Elementary, we had Young Authors Conferences. Where in our small, rural town, they would bring real authors in. It just, you know, you could have brought in someone from the NBA, and I would have been more impressed with the author that was sitting in front of me. So it was always a job that I never thought I could attain, just because it seemed magical in itself. But as I was able to kind of grow up and be a teacher, and then I was able to do some academic writing, I decided that I wanted to try my hand at seeing if I could get a book published. And somehow, some way, the dream came true. And I'm just so excited to be sitting here today as an author.

Valerie - That's really exciting. It's fun to see how God moves us through our lives and gives us little hints of what he wants us to be doing. It's, as I know in my own life, I have fourth-grade teachers, and that also kind of said similar things. And it's just that it's amazing those people that'll come along your path and give you those little hints to direct you where God knows you need to go. And I know my own journey is a little. Those little side steps, God is good to continue to try to communicate with us and be patient with us, just like we have to be with little seeds, too.

Sarah - Exactly.

Valerie - Too fun.  When did your writing journey begin?

Sarah - So, my writing journey, as I said, I've always been a writer, but I would like to share with you my first rejection story, which is the true tale of a writer. Actually, I have several rejection stories from a child. I loved Highlights Magazine as a kid, and I'll never forget that I submitted a poem to Highlights Magazine, and I received back in an envelope, a paper envelope from Highlights Magazine, and I was so excited because I thought, yes, they're sending me, in my mind, money. They're gonna print my book. But it was my very first rejection letter. I probably received it at the age of eight or nine. But I kept on writing and I kept on pressing forward. And I've just always had this love of words. And as I said, when I was a teacher, I went on to earn my PhD from the University of Tennessee after teaching for a few years.

And I just had a really amazing professor who brought us under his wing to do academic writing, to write for scholarly journals in the profession of teaching. He helped us learn how to write chapters for textbooks. And I fell in love with writing once again. And that's kind of what led me to write my first book for women who experienced pregnancy loss. It was more of a, you know, a serious, serious book, but filled with hope, God's love. And so his mentorship really helped me, reminded me that I did want to write, and he helped me learn the process of how to submit work, how to handle rejection, how to resubmit work, and how to know that the editing process really never ends. So my writing journey has just been ongoing, and I'm constantly thinking of new projects and then trying to decide which one to follow.

Valerie- You never stop having to learn as a writer, and it's whether you stamp on that author published tag or not, you're always having to continue to learn and to work on what you love, and then that's half the fun. Well, Sarah, what is your favorite book?

Sarah - It is. It is so much fun. My favorite book. That is such a hard question because if you were in my house right now, I could see your house as well. You probably have, you know, maybe hundreds of books in your house, as do I, because I just love collecting books. But when I think about my favorite book, probably as a preteen, one of my favorite books that I still remember just being absolutely wonderful was The Secret Garden. And I just think it was the first time that a long book had taken me into this other dominion, and I was able to go into this little secret garden that the main character was part of in her life. So the Secret Garden was probably my favorite book as a child and it's probably one when I think about favorite books, I would call that my favorite book.

Valerie - Very neat and funny side note, I'm currently listening to that audiobook on my walks with my dogs. Yes. So I've watched the movie and I know all about it, but I've never actually read the book. And so I'm like, you know, let's read it, and I'm enjoying it. So she just met Collin.

Sarah- Doesn't it just make you want to have hot tea and go out and clip the roses?

Valerie - Yes, yes, it does. Too fun. Well, what has been the most impactful book in your life other than the Bible?

Sarah - Oh yeah, the Bible. We can't answer that one, can we? Because that's a given. That's going to be the most impactful book. I think probably the most impactful book is always the one that I just read because I love to read, and whatever I have frequently recently finished usually stays with me for a while, and I mull it over and I think about it. So whatever my recent read has been. So this is very random, but this would not be one of the top 10 books of my life, but my last book that I just read was a biography of Fleetwood Mac, the band. So I love reading biographies because they just remind you of how people usually just begin with a dream, and with enough perseverance, they're able to achieve amazing things in life. And so that was kind of my takeaway from behind the scenes of Fleetwood Mac.

Valerie - Very interesting. I usually have, think one of the only biographies that I've read, because I struggle with biographies a little bit, and some nonfiction, is Michael J. Fox's biography. And I found that very interesting, just because I grew up with him being on the screen and just about everything. And so it was just one of those things to see another side of someone that you never would have, never met face to face in a sense, and get a sense of their journey and be reminded that we are all struggling with our own things and all having to work hard to accomplish what we want to.

Sarah - Exactly. We just recently started watching Family Ties again in my house. Well, let's say I introduced my 15-year-old to Family Ties. So it was fun to go back into the 80s to watch some of those episodes with him.

Valerie - Yes. I know that life was simpler when it was 30-minute episodes. And we just started watching Home Improvement with our boys, and that's been a lot of fun.

Sarah - Yes, it was! That's a great one. I'm going to have to add that to my list.

Valerie - It's been good. It's been a little strange because I have three boys, and that show had three boys. And my husband will look at each other cross the way like, okay, yeah, this is totally the way things are happening in our house. So, it's funny. Well, Sarah, what can we expect next from you?

Sarah - So right now, just so excited for Wake-Up Little Seed to come out into this world and to have people hold it. So after that, I'm not exactly sure what is going to unfold in the publishing world, but right now I'm just so thrilled by Wake Up Little Seed and to start watching little readers enjoy it because I think reading is just one of the most significant things we can do as families is to just take our children in our laps, cuddle with them and read.

Great books. So, what can you expect from me? You can expect me to be extremely excited over Wake Up, Little Seed, and to also be going to different events to read Moo Moo Nap Nap to readers as well.

Valerie - It's fun that the little kid books are always just a joy to be a part of, and reading at schools and those kinds of things, because I think there's a quote, I can't remember who says it, but readers are made in the laps of the people who love them. And it's just one of those sweet memories to be able to sit and read to our kids. We only recently stopped doing read-alouds at our house because all my kids are teens, and it's like, I kind of wanted to go back to that; they're like, Mom, I'm already reading my own stuff. It's a new season, and we'll figure it out.

Sarah - That is a new season. I'm taking a job for this semester, well, for this year, teaching American history at the high school where my children attend. And yesterday I brought in a picture book, a historical picture book, and I read aloud to the class. You know, maybe you can find a topic that they're studying in school and then toss it to let you read it aloud to them.

Valerie - Yes, that's the trick with teens, is you have to find something interesting they want to learn about and jump in. Too fun. Well, Sarah, where can people find out more about you and your books?

Sarah - Yes, exactly. So you can check my website, www.allamericanmom.net, and on my website are links to my Facebook page, Sarah Philpott writes, and Instagram, Sarah L. Philpott, where you can kind of get some behind-the-scenes looks at our farm. Yesterday I posted some little videos of our llamas running around. So that's where you can connect with me, and I would love to connect with readers and just fellow book lovers. Whether you read my books or other people's books, it's always a good time to connect with people who just love the craft of reading and reading for enjoyment.

Valerie - We will definitely have those links in the show notes so people can find you easily. Thank you so much for being with me today, Sarah.

Sarah - Thank you for having me, Valerie.

Valerie - And thank you for joining Sarah and me on this episode of the Bookworthy Podcast. Check the show notes for any books or links that we discussed, and let us know in the comments what is the most unusual thing you've ever eaten? And be sure to like and subscribe to discover more great books together.

Happy reading.