Sometimes annoyances can turn into blessings. For Jessica Keyes, children’s ministry director at First Baptist Church Reeltown and author of four children’s books, a neighbor’s rooster’s constant crowing was the catalyst.
“I nicknamed that rooster ‘Cock-A-Doodle Jim.’ It started as a little song that I would sing around the house to my boys about ‘Cock-A-Doodle Jim crowing all day long; Cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle from dusk till dawn,’” Keyes said.
After hearing the rooster crow throughout the day and listening to his mom’s song about Cock-A-Doodle Jim, her 3-year-old son Baylor began asking, “Mama, why does that rooster crow all day long?”
Instead of explaining a rooster’s tendency toward being territorial and other reasons a rooster might crow during the day, she wrote a tale about Jim.
Keyes had a history of being a “lifelong doodler” and writing rhyming short stories. For years, she had wanted to write children’s books but never felt it was the right time.
With the “world feeling so chaotic and uncertain” during the 2020 pandemic, Keyes thought that it was finally time to start. This resulted in her first book, “Cock-A-Doodle Jim Crows All Day Long.”
“Cock-A-Doodle Jim” was quickly followed by three other books — “Dessa May Donkey Wants To Be a Reindeer,” “Cock-A-Doodle Jim and the Whopper Tomato” and “What Matters Most to You, Lord?” — making up the “Liberty Lane Farm Friends” series.
Deeper lesson
Each of the books is not only for a child’s entertainment but has a deeper lesson that can apply to both children’s and adults’ lives.
“Cock-A-Doodle Jim Crows All Day Long” is about being a friend to someone who is different. In the book, Jim befriends Shy Spider, making the message clear that we are commanded to love everyone, especially our neighbors.
With the main character named after Keyes’ grandmother, “Dessa May Donkey Wants To Be a Reindeer” highlights the danger of comparison. Dessa May struggles with feeling that the other animals are better than her, and she wants to be a reindeer instead.
While trying to do so, she eats peppermint sticks and even climbs to the top of the barn to see if she can fly. The farmer talks her down by telling her the Christmas story and the key role of the donkey who carried Mary, the mother of Jesus.
“It’s really about identity and realizing that the Lord made us exactly who we’re supposed to be for exactly what we’re supposed to do to glorify Him,” she said.
The story continues
Feedback from young readers spurred her next book, “Cock-A-Doodle Jim and the Whopper Tomato.” They wanted to learn what happened to Jim and Shy Spider.
This time, Keyes was inspired by Liberty Lane Blossoms, her cut flower business that grows organic, heirloom flowers.
Featuring a farmer who grows a prize-winning tomato, its lesson revolves around lying. Jim lies about knocking the tomato off the vine and then hides like Adam and Eve did.
The fourth book in the series, “What Matters Most to You, Lord?” continues Shy Spider’s journey and circles back to what was taught in the first book.
Highlighting the message of Matthew 22:36–40, “What Matters Most to You, Lord?” emphasizes not only loving your neighbor but also the importance of loving God above everything else.
“Shy Spider runs through everything, [asking] ‘Is it because I’m a good athlete? Is it because I keep my room clean, because I have great grades or have all this money? What is it that pleases the Lord the most?’
“He comes to find out it’s not any of those things,” Keyes said.
Dream realized
Writing these books not only fulfilled a dream of Keyes but was very special in another way.
“At the time that I wrote ‘Jim,’ my mom had terminal cancer,” Keyes said. “She and I had the opportunity to spend time talking about life.
“One of the pearls of wisdom that she gave to me was that she wanted to own a restaurant. She actually pursued that and had someone discourage her and tell her, ‘It’ll never make money. It’ll never work.’”
Her mother told her that she had “stayed on the carousel for fear of the roller coaster and I wish I’d never done that.”
This experience helped Keyes take a “leap of faith” and self-publish the series. Though she doesn’t like self-promotion, she knows there are reasons to tell others about the books.
“I don’t think the books are about me. I think that the Lord has allowed me to do this so that I can maybe inspire other people. My illustrations are very simple. The words that I write are simple. But they have those nuggets of truth in them,” Keyes said.
Furthermore, Keyes wants to encourage others that if she can do this, others can too.
“Whatever accolades that you could hope to imagine as a writer, that would be amazing, and if He blessed me with that, I would be over the moon. But I really think that He has allowed me this to be an encourager, so that the person who has that book will take that step of faith and do what they are being called to do.”
Look for the Liberty Lane Farm Friends books wherever books are sold.
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