SEPTEMBER MONTHLY ROUNDUP

From Mimi’s notepad 9.30.2026

Happy birthday to us!

Sing along if you know these words.

Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday to us! Happy birthday, Little Jesus Chronicles. Happy birthday to us!

It’s our book birthday!

That’s really a thing.

We didn’t know it was a thing until October 7, 2024. And here we are, 3 years old in just a matter of days.

Today when I think back to the events that began October 7, 2023, it’s hard to avoid the gutted feeling I had that morning as the ugliness of the attack was unfolding. But somehow in that chaos, a 5-year old girl asked what it was like to live in Israel. As I stalled to find the right answer, she pivoted to “what was it like for Little Jesus growing up.” I wasn’t any more prepared to answer that question than I was the first. Finally, she said “tell me the Bible story of Little Jesus’ first loose tooth.”

That I could answer. Sort of. Well, not really. But it gave rise to the conversation that launched this project.

As we headed downstairs to announce what we had decided to do, our world shifted in ways we didn’t expect. And never could we have predicted that I’d be writing a newsletter update almost 3 years later!

In that blink of an eye, we have issued 40 ISBNs to 9 storybooks in 4 formats including 2 languages. We have 9 books cataloged in the US Library of Congress. And we own The Little Jesus Chronicles® bonafide registered trademark.

How do you celebrate a book birthday? With a sale! The best shopportunity we’ve ever had! That’s right: use code H3BBD (Happy 3rd Book BirthDay) to get 25% off your total purchase between tomorrow, October 1, and midnight on our birthday. Quantities are limited — so don’t wait.

To repeat: our online store will honor Code H3BBD for 25% off your purchase between October 1 and October 7. Shipping and taxes apply. Local pickup at easy locations is available for Fort Smith and Edmond.

And remember to be patient with us. Jill and I are it when it comes to running this show. There’s no IT team running the website. There’s no logistics team figuring out efficiencies. It’s us. Just us. We built and maintain our online store all by ourselves. We had a devil of a time (because the devil is in the details!) getting the code set up. If you have any problems, just reach out to us. We’ll get back to you quickly.

On the Road Again!

Tulsa, Oklahoma

We were back in Tulsa this month at the Diocese of Tulsa Catholic Women’s Conference. We saw some of our now “old friends” and made many new ones. Highlights include meeting and sharing our story with Bishop David Konderla (below with Jill and Lilly Grace).

One of the speakers was Father Leo Paralinghug. Father Leo is a chef who beat Bobby Flay with steak fajitas! His presentation highlighted the importance of cooking and reflected his Grace Before Meals movement. Father Leo was quite the entertainer with stories that included Saint Mother Theresa. Check him out here.

Yes, we placed loads of books into new homes. That’s the mission. Growing the kingdom one kid at a time whether that kid is 4 or 40 or 104. Having fun while we do it is the bonus. Here’s a peak to prove my point.

Little Rock, Arkansas

Who did it? We did it! And we’re doing it again in 2027!

Did what?

Attended a statewide event for educators!

Our FIRST educators’ conference!

Team Little Jesus Chronicles hosted our very first book show for educators in my home state of Arkansas!

Honestly, we were really excited to experience the reactions of the teachers who talked with us. In addition to showing our books, we introduced educators to the worksheets and activity pages we are creating. These lessons meet state standards for Arkansas and will be modified as needed for other state standards.

I hosted two of the break-out sessions and got to be in my teacher mode for about 2 hours. It was loads of fun.

Stay tuned!!! We have big plans for educator outreach in 2027.

Where to next?

Oklahoma City!

The Archdiocese of Oklahoma City is hosting the Conferencia Mujer Católica on October 24. The vision of Mujer Católica OK is that language barrier not be an impediment for the women of our community to live an experience that enriches and enlarges their faith.

We were delighted when they reached out and asked us to share our books at their event! Our team Español language expert is unable to join us at the event, but we’ll be fine with our rusty Spanish.

This event is for registrants only. Here is a link to the registration page!

If you are in the OKC area that weekend, we’d be happy to meet for coffee for some book talk!

Pipeline Update

Book 9: Little Jesus and the Buzz About Bullies

Whew, this book has us on pins and needles. The reading assessment from MetaMetrics took a bit longer than we anticipated. We’re on a roll now moving ahead with our release planned for October 15. As the title suggests, this story features a bully and introduces a phrase that we have been using for 3 years: What Would Little Jesus Do. The story also does a terrific job explaining some of Little Jesus’ cousin connections. I’ll share more on this next month.

Legal Revisions

We continue to work on updates. Lexile scores for the first 9 books have been acquired and are now on the book covers. At least, that’s the case for English. Now we are finishing up the Spanish books. I think we’ll have them ready by the end of the year.

It may seem like a lot of work and expense, but we want our books to be regarded well by educators and families alike.

That reminds me. There’s a complicated word that I have finally mastered pronouncing. It’s imprimatur. This Latin word literally translates to “let it be printed”. In the faith-based world, the imprimatur mark typically signifies the authority’s conference that the content is approved as an official reflection of church doctrine. We originally sought this “mark” at the suggestion of people we trust. We’ve learned that as historical fiction producers, we do not need to have content certified by an authority. However, we still use our wide group of advisors to be sure we are meeting high expectations and quality standards.

By the way, the rhyming in my head that helps me remember how to pronounce the word is “tomato, to-motter.” You’re welcome.

Little Jesus and Friends: Activity Book 3

We are now creating the puzzles for this activity book and expect to meet our target for release in November. Our goal is to offer our 3rd bundle (below) in time for holiday shopping.

October always reminds me to start planning my holiday gifting. How about you?

If you’d like books signed by all 3 authors, we need that order by November 20 since we will all be together for Thanksgiving. All other holiday orders should be placed by November 30 to ensure delivery by Christmas - or the Epiphany if that’s when you gift.

Until we chat in November, may you be blessed and kept safe -