Behind the Story: How 'The Robin and the Rainbow' Was Born

I remember thinking I might write a poem for my Grandma Fredregill. She had been alone for about twenty or so years since the passing of my Grandpa. In my early years, she was a talkative, friendly, vibrant person. She made apple pie and chili. She had a fantastic smile. With his death, she had to leave the farm for an apartment in town and then would follow a series of other facilities over the years. At the time of the writing of The Robin and the Rainbow she was living in a more apartment-type setting in Golden Valley, Minnesota.

I was having a reflective moment, going back to all the days I spent on that farm just south of Des Moines and to how much fun it was to roam around and explore. That was really how The Robin and the Rainbow was born. The farm, my Grandma’s faith in God – that’s the story behind book, the book that came from the poem.

That farm and the house my Grandpa literally built brick-by-brick was a special place, and really, it still is, both frozen in a youthful space of time in my brain as well as in real life. It is still perched atop a hillside that looks down to the corn rows to the West, the garage and barn to the south and of course, the pond to the east.

I think Grandma always looked forward to the Spring. That is the season of new life outdoors and it would mean snowy white turning to green, flowers springing up and, naturally, the planting of her garden, filled with peas or beans, rhubarb and strawberries. My Grandma spent what was probably several frustrating moments with me in that garden, teaching me the correct way to pinch things off the stem.

Grandma Harriett at the farm.

As a person of faith, I think the Spring probably reminded her of new life spiritually as well. She prayed on her knees and when I would spend the night at the farm, I did, too. That concept was not totally foreign to me but also not my standard mode. Prayers at the farm were not short nor were they lengthy soliloquies. They were a perfect length and were seldom about herself and her own needs.

I was an exceptionally early reader – and talker – despite a terrible accident at 16 months of age that, by all accounts, should have ended my time on Earth. It was around that time that Grandma famously commented that I would either grow up to be a preacher or a lawyer. Radio DJ, broadcaster, multimedia producer and voiceover artist probably weren’t part of her personal lexicon but I think what she meant to say was that I would continue to spend the rest of my life doing a lot of talking, a lot of communicating – one way or another.

She certainly hit that nail square on the head.

When talking about The Robin and the Rainbow to people, I realized at some point that while I would certainly share the poem with others, how to do that was unclear. So, one day, I was thinking about this poem I had written for her and something struck me and I just started doodling. Next thing you know, our little robin friend was staring back at me.

My writing has often been like that. Not the deliberately-sit-down-and-churn-it-out kind of writing but a mini-lightning-strike-of-some-sort kind of moment that leads to something bigger. I keep a file of notes when these bolts happen so I can piece them together down the line.

So – I didn’t set out to become a faith-based children’s book author, therefore, neither did I set out to create a Christian children’s book series. But after I decided to make The Robin and the Rainbow into a book, I was immediately led to write the next one. And then the next. And more ideas for books just started flowing – kind of like fresh, clean rainwater running down the sides of the hills on the farm into the pond we call ‘Big Blue’.

Harkening back to those memories of Grandma on her knees in prayer, the power of prayer has taken hold as a common theme for Faith Critters. Prayer is a connector and prayer is always available to you, 24/7. That is what I hope these books will be for you – a connector.

JF

Jason reading The Robin and the Rainbow

The Robin and the Rainbow and the second book in the Faith Critters series, The Turtle and the Treehouse, which honors my mother, Judy -- You can find them here. More stories are on the way. To follow the journey as new stories come to life, Join the Flock here.