Bethel director of missions writes children’s book

With the love and imagination of a father tucking in his children at night, Bobby Hopper conjured up stories of Bleep, the purple bear, and his adventures with a young boy named Johnny.

Now that his three children are adults, Hopper, director of missions for Bethel Baptist Association, has turned those stories into a book, “Bleep the Purple Bear,” released in January through Author House self-publishing.

“I told the story to my kids when they were small about a little boy that grows up,” he said.

The story begins with the boy, Johnny, going on imaginative adventures with his stuffed bear, Bleep. But as the story progresses, Johnny grows up as Bleep and friends watch from the treehouse window, their imaginations beginning to take flight.

Andy Hopper, Bobby Hopper’s oldest son, served as the book’s illustrator, bringing to life his childhood imagination of Johnny and Bleep’s adventures.

For more information, visit www.bobbysbooks.com.