When I Fly with Papa (Children's Book)

This three-movement poem invites readers ages three and up to journey with the Papa of their imagination. It can be read in one sitting or spread out over numerous days. A movement or verse can guide a moment of storytelling and reflection. Readers can even skip a day or more and return to a poem for a fresh experience with Papa as God.

With each illustration, readers do not see a physical image of Papa but instead, through the genius of Claudia May's words and Jena Holliday's artistry, meet a God who cannot be contained within one single image or limited to one encounter. The child in all readers can experience God in ways that allow their imagination and relationship with Papa to breathe and move freely.

Claudia May is a storyteller, poet, educator, spiritual director, consultant, and professor. She believes children can teach us how to cultivate a meaningful relationship with God, and that we can experience our communal lives together with the God who knows us intimately -- warts and all. It amazes her that we can be co-partners with the God who loves to be known and loved.

She hopes that children of all ages can learn to love themselves, God, and others for the greater good of humanity. Claudia loves to spend time with the God she calls Papa -- her best friend, confidant, and the essence of love in her life. Alongside her readers, she soars with the possibilities available to all when she chooses to fly with Papa again, and again.

Ages 6-8 years
40 pages
Hardback book