ST. GEORGE — A St. George author who aims to share truth and light through his writing recently finished a children’s book for “all ages under the sun.”
Rand Packer, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has written and published multiple books throughout his life, his most recent being “My Name is Sun.”
“Even though we travel through dark tunnels in our life, there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel,” Packer said.
He told St. George News that he wanted to share the message that even through dark times, the sun comes up every single day and people should be reminded of what that means.
The book is written from the perspective of the sun, and it tells of all the things that the sun makes possible for people.
“It’s cold and dark when I’m not seen, but warm and bright when you see me beam,” the book says.
The book goes on to explain that the sun was made by the son of God and that when the sun rises it should remind people of Jesus Christ who is, “the light of the world.”
“I tried to write it in such a way that it would be applicable and meaningful to all different beliefs, cultures and religions, even those that don’t believe in Jesus Christ,” Packer said. “There’s still a sun up there that comes up every day and it lights the world … we live because of that sun and so maybe there’s meaning to that.”
When it came time to accompany the story with drawings, Packer reached out to Utah Tech University for students willing to help with the illustrations. He said out of half a dozen students that sent him their portfolios, Emilie Richardson was the perfect fit.
Richardson is a sophomore art major that focuses her study on animation. They spent six months sketching, revising and turning drawings into digital pictures that matched with the message of the book.
“I want to bring joy to other people,” she said.
Helping with the book was a learning process that helped boost her confidence, Richardson recalled.
“It was a fun payoff just in general … all of the hard work paid off,” she said.
The book is not currently available in stores, but Packer hopes for it to be out soon.
He is finishing the application process for “My Name is Sun” to be sold at Deseret Book. Packer said the book will also be available on Amazon.
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