A Book or a Movie? Why Not Both?

When I started writing the screenplay for My Manger, I had no idea I’d end up writing a children’s book. My goal was simple. I wanted to tell a story about rediscovering faith through surrender and about how God can use the smallest, most ordinary things to draw us back to Him.

In the film, that “small thing” is a children’s book, delivered by a special, now older, author from the past of an old bookstore owner, Walter. It’s the one object that sparks Walter’s specific memories of his late wife, Kathryn's faithfulness. Through those memories, he remembers her faith, her warmth, and the way she always spoke about Jesus to anyone who entered their bookstore. Those reminders are what begin to soften his heart and lead him back to the faith he lost.

To tell that story well, I needed a real book. It had to feel believable, like something you could pick up and read to a child, but still tie the past and present together through the visual of a manger. The story inside had to echo the same theme of surrender that runs through the film, and the illustrations needed to include a manger that matched the one on screen.

I searched everywhere for a book that would fit, but nothing came close. So... I wrote it.

That’s how My Manger (the book) was born.

It tells the Nativity story from the perspective of a lamb who gives up his manger so baby Jesus can have a place to rest. It’s simple and childlike, but it carries a message that runs deep, that surrender isn’t about losing something, it’s about trusting a sovereign God with what we love most.

What began as a movie prop turned into something much more meaningful. With the help of a talented young artist, Riley Culver, who illustrated the book beautifully, My Manger became a story that can now stand on its own.

I never planned on writing a children’s book, but if I've learned anything from the start of producing this film, it's that this journey is full of surprises.

—T.J. Dukes Writer & Director, My Manger

The book can be purchased on Amazon by clicking HERE.

The book is given as a thank-you gift with any donation of $25 or more on our GiveSendGo crowd funding campaign, found HERE.