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Jars of Kid Lit

Interview by Mark Moring, Christianity Today

Dan Haseltine, frontman for the Christian band Jars of Clay, has long told stories through song. So when he became a dad, it was only natural to turn some of that creativity into imaginative bed-time stories for his kids. One of those tales was so well received by his sons, 6-year-old Noah and 4-year-old Max, that Has-eltine decided to turn it into a children's book. The result is The One, The Only Magnificent Me! (Mackinac Island Press), which Haseltine hopes will be only his first of many kids' books.

What's the book about?It's about a boy who thinks he doesn't measure up, so he wants to have all these different things—a horn, wings, stripes, and spots. He kind of evolves into this creature, making these things with tape and paper. But they start to fall apart and the glue doesn't stick. So by the end of the book, he's left to just be himself, and the big revelation is that that's all he has to be—the one, the only magnificent me.A friend said the story is like The Screwtape Letters, in that it's about the Devil whispering that this guy doesn't measure up. So the illustrations include little hints toward Screwtape.Is this story autobiographical?Yes. I grew up in a family where I had to find other means to find worth; in my home, I wasn't being told I was unique simply because of who I was. I was one of those kids always asking, "What can I do?" I think it's one of the reasons I'm a musician now. As a kid, I was like, "Well, if I play the piano, maybe people will like me."So what's your next book?My son came up with this idea called Alexander the Alligator Dentist. It's about a kid who's constantly told he can't do something. And he rises above it. It's a fun story, and it's really fun to collaborate with a 6-year-old because they don't have any of the boundaries that we have. He's actually allowing me to think more broadly.Do you want to keep writing kids' books?Yes. It's something I'm very passionate about. I've got a lot of stories. Apart from C. S. Lewis, there's a bent toward realism in children's literature in the Christian community. I feel like that does a disservice to kids, because they don't have the capacity to begin to understand a kingdom of God that is so wild and imaginative and creative if they're not given that opportunity in the books that they read.Copyright © 2008 by the author or Christianity Today International/Today's Christian magazine.
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