What will Kentucky Book Festival visitors find on your table?

God, I Feel Sad —

Kids have big feelings, but none of their feelings are too big for God. Written in partnership with licensed counselor Michelle Nietert, God, I Feel Sad helps children safely explore what it means to feel sad, discover healthy ways to process their sadness, and learn that sad isn’t something they need to avoid. In fact, it’s something that helps us grow closer to God and to others.

My Advent Nativity Press-Out-and-Play Book —

Discover the true meaning of Advent and Christmas with your kids as they hear, learn, engage, and play with this one-of-a-kind Advent calendar and nativity set. Each day, you’ll read about the Christmas story, press out a numbered piece and add it to the nativity set, and reflect on the best Christmas gift of all—Jesus.

Simply Christmas: A Busy Mom’s Guide to Reclaiming the Peace of the Holidays: A Devotional —

Between holiday baking, hunting for the perfect tree, decorating, preparing for visiting relatives, and making sure everyone gets the ideal gift, Christmas can be anything but peaceful for a busy mom. Too often, the stress and busyness of the season make it difficult to find time to just sit and reflect on the wonder of the Savior’s birth.

If this sounds familiar, allow Simply Christmas to be your personal invitation to slow down and savor the beauty of the manger this year. This 31-day devotional includes a short reflection and scripture for each day, along with points to ponder and fun ideas for simplifying your Christmas traditions.

Christmas Is Coming! —

Christmas is much more than presents and parties. It’s a day to celebrate Jesus, God’s greatest gift! This beautifully illustrated book shares the entirety of the story—from the garden of Eden to a manger in Bethlehem—as God’s wonderous plan unfolds and His Son comes to earth. The prophets knew, Mary and Joseph knew, the angels knew, the wise men knew . . . and now we know too: Christmas is coming!

God Is Always Good —

A remarkable tool for parents to use for everything from the death of a goldfish to a national tragedy.

God created this world and filled it with wonder and goodness. But sadly, bad things happen sometimes too. Friends move away, and storm winds blow. There are bullies, sickness, sadness, even death. But God Is Always Good will help littles ones (and grownups too!) see that God is bigger than any badness. He is present in every smile, every hug, every helping hand. With soft, tender words and scriptures, this book offers reassurance, comfort, and reminders that no matter what happens in this world, God is always good.

God, I Feel Scared —

Kids have big feelings, but none of their feelings are too big for God. Written in partnership with licensed counselor Michelle Nietert, God, I Feel Scared will help children discover that God gave us feelings for a reason—even not-so-fun-to-feel emotions like scared. Fear is God’s way of sounding an alarm and letting us know something might be wrong. God, I Feel Scared teaches kids to recognize their fears, offers techniques for processing emotions, and encourages them to talk to God about their feelings.

Whom do you invite to stop by? Who will benefit from reading your book?

Whether you’re a kid, a parent, grandparent, teacher, or just all-around bookish person like me, you’ll find a book to treasure, either for yourself or for a little in your life. My books are faith-based, fun, and engaging—and each is written with the hope of inspiring readers to a deeper and more wonderful connection to the God who loves us all.

Could you please tell us something curious about you and/or your book?

My favorite writing partner—and all-around partner in mischief—has four legs! He’s a feisty little floof of a pup named Beanie, and he’s great for bouncing around ideas . . . and balls. Best of all? Beanie thinks I’m the most brilliant writer ever! (You don’t think that has anything to do with all those peanut butter treats I give him, do you?)

Is this your first time participating in Kentucky Book Festival? If yes – what are you looking forward to the most? If you’ve participated before – what was your favorite experience at the Festival?

This year will be my first time to participate in the Kentucky Book Festival, and I couldn’t be more excited! To be surrounded by books and the people who write, read, and love the written word . . . what could be better?

Tama Fortner is an ECPA award-winning and bestselling author with more than fifty titles to her credit. God, I Feel Sad teaches kids ages 4 to 8 how to identify the feeling of sadness, see signs of sadness in others and recognize things that can make them feel sad.