HIDE AND SEEK - Dennis Jernigan - One Free Book

Welcome back Dennis Jernigan with a new children's book series. This is the first book in a three-book children's series.

About Hide and Seek: Hide and Seek is the first book in The Bairns of Bren series, a spinoff from The Chronicles of Bren. The Chronicles of Bren details the life and adventures of Lee Jennings as he progresses from a country boy to high king of the realm of Bren. The Bairns of Bren follows the lives of Lee’s grandchildren as they embark on missions of their own in Bren. Young readers will delight in the adventure and suspense of The Bairns of Bren, Hide and Seek!

When the Jennings cousins decide to play hide and seek, they have no idea their simple game will lead them into the magical land of Bren. There, the Bairns of Bren face the daunting task of saving the kingdom from the evil Oddlings. Though the children become separated, they manage to stay together in spirit through the many twists, turns, and surprises they encounter along the way. Will they be able to save the kingdom before it's too late?

What is the significance of playing hide and seek in a mystical, magical land? When children play games like Hide and Seek, they learn how to recognize deception - especially the player who is doing the seeking. In the fantasy realm where this story takes place, there is a literal hide and seek game being played between the children, while a simultaneous and sinister game is being played by the enemies of the kingdom. My goal with the story is that my grandchildren would learn to recognize the deceptive lies of the enemy of God and would learn to respond to those lies with truth.

What types of issues are addressed in this game of hide and seek that are applicable to the character development of a child? At first, it takes a while for the children to recognize they have been deceived. Once they recognize that fact, they set about finding the truth and getting to the root of the matter. They each have different gifts and talents, as well as very different personalities. One of the things I am trying to communicate through this story is how to disagree without being hurtful, how to be kind to one another, how to take responsibility for their own attitudes and actions.

How is the story used to teach children to rely on God? There comes a point in the story where each child comes to a dead end, a time when it appears all hope is lost. In this story, each child is encouraged to cry out to the Founders - a euphemism for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - and surrender their hearts and minds to the will of the Founders.

How does the children’s quest to free the kingdom from the Oddlings lead to infighting amongst themselves and how do they resolve their differences? Each child comes to a place in which they must recognize pride and an oversized ego. The children are encouraged to put off pride and replace it with humility, all while trying to view their current circumstances from either the Founder's point of view or of another child's point of view.

What is the ultimate take-away you hope for each reader? The ultimate take-away from this story is to recognize that knowing the truth will set one free, but that we never get to the freedom of that truth until we get honest with ourselves about ourselves. Even when we think we hide from God, we must understand that He loves us even as we hide from Him. My hope is that all who read this story will have a better understanding of how honesty leads to truth and truth sets us free. This book is meant to be a fun read. My hope is that it brings a lot of joy into the lives of many children.

Thank you, Dennis, for sharing this book with my blog readers and me. As a grandmother and great-grandmother, I’m happy to share the books with my own family.

This book is available in paperback, ebook, and audiobook format at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hide+and+seek+dennis+jernigan&crid=2FCHGWVDJK7IM&sprefix=hide+and+seek+dennis+jernigan%2Caps%2C120&ref=nb_sb_noss

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