When Kevin Lofgren’s daughter Finley was in preschool, he tried many different things to help her fall asleep. One of the things that worked was improvising a poem about all the exciting things she could dream about.
The bedtime ritual became a significant bonding experience, so he started recording it. One night he listened to the recording and transcribed the poem, and about a decade later when the pandemic hit, he turned the poem into a kids’ book for “children who might need some good reasons to go to sleep.”
Lofgren, a photographer, creative director and marketer in the Dallas area, published the book himself. With whimsical illustrations by Dallas-based artist Mary Scoville, Dream: A Goodnight Book takes the reader on a fun journey into dreamland.
Book Encourages Kids to Dream Big
“You can dream of fairies with wings,” is the first line in the book, accompanied by an illustration of a young girl hopping across giant stones in a body of water in the moonlight.
Ultimately, the book encourages kids to dream big.
“Teaching my kids to dream without limits is one of the things I’m proudest of as a parent, and I’m very happy to discover that this resonates with so many other parents,” Lofgren said in a statement.
Author Hopes Book Will Bring Magic to Bedtime Routines
The book is identical to the original transcribed poem, with one exception. Lofgren replaced the word “daddy” in a sentence with “friends” so that anyone could read the book to any child.
He hopes his book will bring magic into other families’ bedtime routines and help build a sense of self-worth and accomplishment in the little ones listening to the tale.
Frisco Author From a Long Line of Book Lovers
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Lofgren “loves bringing ideas to life through storytelling” and comes from a long line of book lovers. Growing up, he spent his childhood summers pitching in at Lofgren’s Books in Houston, which was run by his grandfather. He also sold books door-to-door for five years to help pay his way through college.
Even with his bookish background, and experience as a creative director, Lofgren says he overcame a lot of self-doubt when putting the book together. He asked himself: is what I’m doing of value? Will other families enjoy it? Does it matter?
Luckily, support and encouragement from family and friends, and the reviews that poured in for the book, helped squash the negative voice in his head.
Author is Releasing Another Kids’ Book
For people who want to self-publish their own book, he encourages them to go for it – “ignore the self-doubt and just put it out there.”
As for what’s next on the horizon for Lofgren, he’s already written another book, which was inspired by a blog he wrote directly to his son Owen. That book should be ready for launch later this year.
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Lead image courtesy Kevin Lofgren
