Author Interview — FAITH AND FUN: Penny Reeve

Author Interview — FAITH AND FUN: Penny Reeve

Novel Insight on 22nd Nov 2024

10 years from the original publication of Can God See Me?, Penny Reeve shares her inspiration for the tale, from hilarious childhood mishaps to common questions of Christianity, and hopes to instil readers with encouragement and reassurance. 

What do you love about writing children’s books?

Writing for children offers so many opportunities to be curious and engage with wonder. I love the way it forces me to strip back adult perceptions and re-engage with ideas in a creative and playful, even if deeply serious, way. I get to have fun with my imagination and push my writing to engage with young people in realistic and meaningful ways. I love that!

Do you have a writing process you usually follow for picture books?

Some people brew coffee or tea, I brew picture books. My process is generally very slow, with lots of dipping in and out of a project. I like to start with a notebook in which I gather ideas, vocabulary, rough attempts etc. Most of this work is done by hand – I even sketch scenes or characters (although I certainly wouldn’t consider myself an illustrator!). Eventually I type up a draft in Word. There are then multiple revisions and rewrites, most often on a printed document so I can scribble away and cross everything out. Eventually I land on a final draft I’m happy with but this whole process can take years… maybe one day I’ll get faster.

The 2nd edition of Can God See Me was recently released. What inspired you to write this book?

Great question! The inspiration for this book came from my son, Zachary. When he was young, he had an insatiable curiosity (and still does!). He asked all sorts of questions, all day long, and most of the time they were the type of questions that built on one another. Asking questions, thinking them through and even testing them out with our imagination, can be a great way to learn important lessons. The inspiration for the bike ride came from a memory I have of flying down hill on a bike with no breaks and somehow, miraculously, not injuring myself when I crash landed over the handlebars into the bush at the end of the road!

This story deals with a very common question that many Christians have about God. What was it like to write about this topic for a younger audience?

Yes! I think Can God See Me? is a question many of us wonder about, no matter how old we are or what sort of journey we are on! It was fun being able to throw reality out the window for a moment and imagine the wildest scenarios. Obviously, we’re not going to go on a bike ride with a wig-wearing, stripy socked rock wallaby… but real life is likely to bring us some unexpected situations. And even in them, God’s care doesn’t stop. I wanted to find a way to communicate this big truth to kids in a memorable way – and Shannon Melville’s fun illustrations just brought everything to life!

Have you had any memorable moments with readers of this book?

This is a great book to use as a group read-aloud. It always invites audience participation to answer the repeated question of ‘Can God see me?’ YES! Such fun.

A couple of other memorable moments were when a grandparent told me their granddaughter had been requesting my book over and over, every night for months! (I hereby apologise to that poor parent!). Another time a mother of five told me Can God See Me? is her favourite book and whenever her life feels like it’s getting out of control, she picks it up for much needed encouragement.

What do you hope your readers will take away from Can God See Me?

Encouragement, laughter, reassurance, permission to wonder. My hope has always been that this story would bring a smile to reader’s faces and fill their hearts with hope, knowing they are never alone.

Do you have any other projects in the works?

Yes, I’m always writing something, but something I’m super excited about is a new picture book about child-labour coming out next year with Wombat Books. I’m also working on a free devotional for children that I’ll have available on my website soon. If people would like to receive more info on either of the above, I’d recommend they sign up to my author newsletter here: https://www.pennyreeve.com/contact.html