Author: Tope Umah
Genre: Children’s Picture Books
Book: My Day with Jesus
Publication Date: December 27th, 2024
Target Age: 2-6yrs
My Day with Jesus: Looking for an engaging way to teach your kids practical communication and relationship-building with Jesus? My Day with Jesus is just what you need. This heartwarming story follows a boy as he learns to invite Jesus into his daily life, showing kindness, facing struggles, and developing strong character through his relationship with Him.
Showing Kids How to Connect with Jesus
Interview by Jenny Fulton
Tope Umah is a Cybersecurity analyst, wife, mother, and Nonfiction Children’s Book writer with a huge heart for helping kids know and love Jesus.
“My faith is the driving force behind my writing,” she shared. “My vision is to instill Christ in children, as I believe that’s the greatest legacy any parent or person can leave behind.”
Although Tope has a full-time career outside the home, she considers her primary calling to be that of a mother.
“For me, motherhood is my first ministry. I strive every day to share Jesus in a way my children can understand, grounding their faith in practical, everyday experiences. Reading is a crucial part of that learning process, and since my son loves to read, I see storytelling as the perfect way to introduce Jesus. Writing stories that address the lessons I want to teach, or the areas where I see him struggling, feels like a natural extension of that. Since I engage with my children daily, observing their growth and challenges, these everyday moments provide endless inspiration for my writing.”
Serving as a Sunday School teacher at her church has also had a profound impact on Tope’s ideas and storytelling style.
“As a Sunday School teacher, I’ve witnessed firsthand the areas where children need more clarity about Jesus, which drives my focus on simplicity when writing.”
Becoming a Published Author
Tope first discovered her love for writing when she was in middle school.
“Back then, I gravitated toward poetry rather than stories because I found poems to be a quicker and easier way to express myself. I also enjoyed journaling and made it a daily habit as soon as I got home from school. Writing became my outlet for releasing my thoughts and feelings.”
As much as she enjoyed the activity, it wasn’t until years later, after she gave birth to her first son, that she began to seriously consider writing and publishing books.
“Since my pregnancy, I began to think of different ways I could teach my son about Jesus. After giving birth in 2017, I delved into reading many Christian children books and that led to the birth of my first book, ABC the Bible Way.”
That first book was published in October of 2020. In the 4+ years since then, Umah has published six more books, including her latest one, My Day with Jesus.
Developing My Day with Jesus
The inspiration for Tope’s latest book came from her experiences as a mother and Sunday School teacher.
“I wanted to explore how the struggles I see in children could be addressed through communication with Jesus, offering a path to better understanding and growth. At its core, I aim to show children that talking to Jesus can be as natural and personal as talking to a friend.”
Some of the specific events in the story are pulled directly from the Umah’s home life and from conversations with the children in her Sunday School class.
“My son loves looking out the window in the morning and at night to determine whether it’s day or night—this sparked the opening and closing of the book. Another experience comes from bedtime, where I’ve had conversations with my Sunday School children about their own fears, and I’ve also seen my son struggle with the fear of sleeping alone. This became another key theme in the story. Lastly, our family’s nightly devotional time, where we gather after dinner to worship and thank Jesus, played a big role in shaping the book’s message of ending the day with gratitude and connection to God.”
Key Themes:
- Dealing with inattentiveness
- Fear of the dark or being alone
- Kindness
- Gratitude
I’ve learned that it’s impossible to write a book without learning and being impacted by the story you’re writing and/or the truth you’re seeking to communicate.
Concerning how she was affected by this process, Tope said, “Writing this book reminded me of the importance of always being thankful, even for the smallest things, and involving Jesus in everything we do. Life can get so busy that we often forget to invite Him into the chaos or the mundane moments, but He truly wants to be a part of it all.”
She also shared that this story is different from her first book because it was born from personal life experiences, rather than just Bible facts.
“It’s a more intimate reflection of how I live and aspire to live out my faith in everyday moments.”
When adults and children read My Day with Jesus, Umah hopes they will realize they can begin their relationship with Jesus right now.
“He wants to be a part of your lives and delights in conversing with you. Simply talk to Jesus—He wants to hear you.”
An Author’s Life
When Tope isn’t writing, working full-time, or being a wife, mother, or Sunday School teacher, she enjoys gardening, drawing, and playing her ukulele.
It isn’t easy to balance all her different roles or find the time to write, so she makes good use of even the smallest opportunities God provides.
“I usually sneak in time for the draft phase of writing whenever I can. For the publishing side, I tackle most of it during our ‘me time,’ on my lunch break at work, or in the evenings after the day winds down.”
Best Part of the Writing/Publishing Journey: “Bringing a thought to life and living out your Christian faith whilst collaborating with key players throughout the writing and publishing process.”
Most Challenging Aspect of Writing/Publishing: “One of the biggest challenges of the publishing process was remembering all the steps, especially since my second full-color picture book came four years after my first.”
What’s Next: “Spreading the word about the book and offering practical tips to parents on how to incorporate it into everyday life is a key part of my mission.”
Free Resources! Tope offers free lesson plans and coloring pages on her website: https://www.lamplitbooks.com/free-resources
Book Blurb
Step into the world of a young boy’s journey of faith and discover simple yet profound ways for your children to connect with Jesus in their everyday lives. This heartwarming book offers practical guidance for parents seeking to instill the gift of prayer in their little ones.
This 32 page count book offers a good opportunity for early readers to grow in their reading and comprehension skills while learning about Jesus. This book is suitable for children ages 2-6. My Day with Jesus serves as a great starter for having conversation with children about Jesus by offering Bible verses and relatable daily life activities children can relate with.
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Heart Soul Mind 
My Day with Jesus sounds adorable!
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