Bedtime storytelling creates best-selling children's book

Dan Haseltine is more than the lead singer for the Christian band Jars of Clay; he's also a parent.

And as a parent, he tells his sons stories at bedtime.

Noah, 6, and Max, 4, have bunk beds, which makes it difficult to read them children's books. Haseltine had to figure out another way.

“They would sit in their bunks, and I would make something up,” said Haseltine in a recent e-mail interview with the Santa Maria Times. “After a while, they turned into Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets. They would critique my stories, which was a good challenge for me.”

Thus shaped by the boys, the oral storytelling sessions turned into a children's book that has topped bestseller lists. Haseltine will be in San Luis Obispo to do a book signing for it, the same day Jars of Clay performs in concert in Pismo Beach.

“The One, The Only, Magnificent Me” debuted as the No. 1 children's book on Christian book wholesaler Spring Arbor's best-selling list, and was No. 2 for illustrated children's books on the Top 100 Bestseller List at Ingram Book Group. The book features illustrations by longtime friend Joel Schoon Tanis.

Haseltine wrote it for his son, who was kicked out of a sandbox by bigger kids. The plot deals with a boy who tries to improve himself with feathers, a tail and prickly things, and who eventually learns that he is unique just as he is.

“I saw him struggling with the rejection,” said Haseltine. “That night, when I made up a story, I wanted to be sure to remind him of his real worth. So I made up ‘The One, The Only, Magnificent Me.' He loved it and told me I should write it down. So, here we are.”

He hopes the book will help kids realize that they are special just for being alive.

“I hope that kids can have a handle on the fact that they are special ... magnificent simply because they are, not because they run fast, or ride bikes, or have the coolest toys,” said Haseltine.

Haseltine has always loved children's literature. As a child, he carried around a copy of Shel Silverstein's “Where the Sidewalk Ends.” He also said getting into a child's mindset to write the book wasn't hard.

“Actually, having two boys that are in the process of having their world opened up is fantastic exposure to the mind of a child,” he said.

He wants to write more children's books with Tanis, and hopes to finish a novel he's been working on in the next year.

Haseltine is known for being the lead singer of a Christian band, and he believes that his Christian faith directs him to make excellent art for its own sake.

“I know that it is a widely held perception that artists coming from a Christian belief system only ever make art with some underlying agenda, or with a cause to manipulate and prove Christianity or defend the Gospel,” he said. “Although there are many artists who affirm that perception, there are many of us who simply love art, music, literature and a good story.”

He sees the Jars of Clay concerts as a chance to enjoy art without pressure.

“Because we are widely known as a ‘Christian' band, people think they are going to experience a strong pitch for Christianity,” he said. “They won't get that at our shows.”

The band members, including Haseltine, Charlie Lowell, Matt Odmark and Steve Mason, do care about social justice.

“We also care about the people who live in our world ... We do love talking about making choices that show we are implicated in the stories of those who live under the hand of poverty. We can make better choices that affect people and help end the cyclical nature of extreme poverty. There is room for all of this at a Jars concert.”

Bettina Adragna can be reached at 739-2220 or badragna@santamariatimes.com.

October 10, 2007