Childrens / Juvenile Fiction : Religious - Christian - Values & Virtues / Juvenile Fiction : Religious - Christian - Animals /Juvenile Fiction : Religious - Christian - General
Date Published: April 11 2019
Publisher: Lucid Books
God Wants to Be Found! In 'Those Who Seek God', little readers will enjoy a sweet story about young animals wanting to learn more about God. Through Bible verses and conversations with loved ones, these characters discover that seeking God is simple. He wants to be found! Curious littles and big kiddos too, snuggle in close as you listen to how the swan, otter, kitten, caterpillar, and others learn more about God and what it means to seek Him.
Hi! I’m Niki Milburn, author of Those Who Seek God. I am so excited to share with you 5 things you may not know about the book! These facts are special or important to me in some way, and I’d like to share my thoughts about each one!
1. The very first illustration in Those Who Seek God is of Swan and baby duck. I wanted the illustration to represent families who came to be through adoption, foster care, or however! Not all families look the same, and my hope is that children in these kinds of families feel loved by me.
2. The first Bible verse I used in the book is near and dear to my heart. “He will cover you with his feathers and under His wings you will find refuge” (Psalm 91:4). You see, my younger brother passed away 4 years ago. This verse has given me comfort while grieving. Amazingly, during the first few years, feathers would randomly appear in the craziest places, like he was saying, “I’m okay, I’m with God!” Feathers became a sign of peace and comfort to me! I knew I wanted to honor him in my book, so I asked my incredible illustrator to include a feather in each illustration for children to find.
3. Writing a children’s book has been a dream of mine for many, many years! I often thought about story ideas, but nothing ever really stuck. One night about 3 years ago, I was lying in bed talking to God through prayer. I asked Him to help me with a children’s book idea. I had gone on to pray about other things, when suddenly the idea came! It popped into my head and I immediately knew two things: first, this was a gift from God. Second, I LOVED the idea! Wow, thanks, God! I pictured parts of Bible verses and an animal that “matched” it. (Ex: light of the world and lantern fish, cover you with His feathers and swan, fruit of the spirit and fruit bat, etc.) I became so excited, I hopped out of bed and began to frantically write verses that matched animals. Soon, I had a list of 20. The idea had been born and lit a fire in my writing heart!
4. In Those Who Seek God, there is an adorable illustration of a cat and her kitten. My sweet nieces adore their cats, and to surprise them, I had the illustrator create the two cats to look like theirs! Needless to say, they were thrilled to see their pets’ look-alikes in the book!
5. I knew that finding the best illustrator would be a very important piece. I was concerned because I didn’t even know where to start! This is where my publisher, Lucid Books, stepped in and showed me examples of Jerry Vineyard’s work. In truth, I wasn’t 100% sold. His work was great, I just wasn’t sure if it was what I was looking for. I decided to pray about it. God gently urged me to trust Him and let me know that Jerry was the one! When I saw the sketches, I burst into tears. They were exactly what I had hoped for, but even better! How awesome is that? I later learned that Jerry was a pastor in Texas. God connected us for a reason and I will always be thankful for that!
I hope this “inside scoop” gives you a glimpse into my heart and why I made some of the decisions I did when writing Those Who Seek God. Remember, keep seeking God and you will find Him. He wants to be found!
About the Author
Niki Milburn is a proud homeschooling mama, with a degree in elementary education. She loves Jesus, coffee, adventure, hiking with her family, and picture books! Niki grew up in Greencastle, Indiana but currently lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her high school sweetheart Nate, their two boys—Miles and Maguire, an English Bulldog, and a rescue pup. You can connect with Niki on Instagram (@nikimilburnatl).
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