Growing God
Emma, the young artist whose contagious faith inspired others in the children’s book by Church in the 21st Century Center Director Karen Kiefer, Drawing God, is back. In Kiefer’s new book, Growing God, Emma spends her school vacation at her “favorite place on Earth”—her grandmother’s farm. It is a place where her grandmother, as she tells Emma, “grows God.” Emma is inspired to plant seeds and grow God, too. With illustrations from Kathy DeWit, Growing God follows Emma as she learns that with patience, love, care, and faith, seeds can grow into something amazing. Kiefer recently shared some thoughts on Growing God. (The following has been lightly edited.)
Why did you want to revisit the character of Emma and explore more about her faith journey?
My daughter, Emma, was the muse for Emma’s character in Drawing God. As a child, she never stopped creating and sharing her gifts with the world. I wanted Emma’s real-life energy and creative faith curiosity to animate the character, especially as she tries to draw God and share her masterpieces. Emma’s infectious faith in Drawing God convinced me there was more to her story. Three years (and a pandemic) passed and I wondered what Emma might be up to as a nine-year-old. How was she sharing her faith now? I prayed about it, and the notion of Emma growing in her faith by caring for God’s creation felt right.
What was the inspiration for setting the story in nature?
When I was Emma’s age, everything about nature excited me, from chasing salamanders and frogs to picking berries and plucking rhubarb stalks in our neighbor’s garden. It all felt so enchanting, and it was where my imagination lived, in the outdoors. I began to imagine Emma visiting her Nana’s farm, a place where her grandmother tells her she grows God. Emma isn’t initially sure what Nana means by growing God, but soon enough, she learns that every seed holds an opportunity, and she is excited to begin sowing her own growing-God garden.
Author Karen Kiefer, director of the Church in the 21st Century Center. (Photo by Gary Wayne Gilbert)
Are there themes of Ignatian spirituality in Growing God?
Knowing how creative St. Ignatius was, I’m surprised that the children’s Christian book marketplace isn’t flooded with stories infused with Ignatian spirituality, but it isn’t. I’m proud that the C21 Center could respond to that need, and that both Drawing God and Growing God and the characters and storylines embrace the importance of the mind, heart, and imagination working together to find God in all things.
In Growing God, Emma’s faith is on full display as she talks to the dirt and tries to practice patience while nurturing her garden. She soon realizes that growing God is challenging, especially when every kid in the neighborhood thinks she is crazy. There’s a turning point in the story when Emma’s first and only sprout topples over. Her grandmother tells her to sprinkle cornmeal over the dirt to absorb the moisture in the soil. She reminds Emma again that every seed holds an opportunity and that even the seeds that don’t live long have something to teach us. There’s an Easter moment tucked inside those words. After a long wait, flowers and vegetables were everywhere, even where Emma hadn’t planted seeds. What happens next will surely make St. Ignatius smile, but I won’t give it away.
What do you hope young readers learn from Growing God?
I hope that children can see themselves in Emma and are inspired to be the sowers of God’s love. I want them to know that they, too, have a contagious faith and how fun it is to share it with others.
You’re launching a companion “Be a Sower” program and a Growing God virtual farm. Can you tell us about them?
I wanted to ensure that Drawing God and Growing God delivered a call to action, a chance to celebrate Catholic faith and share God’s goodness. Drawing God inspired the annual World Drawing God Day in November, and there is a virtual museum at the website drawing-god.com that features hundreds of masterpieces from individuals, classrooms, and parishes worldwide. Growing God’s “Be a Sower” movement encourages readers to plan an activity that shares God’s love for others in the community. We are building a virtual Growing God Farm to highlight the Sower projects so that others might be inspired to create their own. Again, sharing our contagious faith.
Visit www.growing-god.com for links to where to purchase Growing God and to learn more about related projects. Royalties from the sale of the book will benefit the C21 Center.