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When the Farmer
Returns
On a big farm, the cows are all loved by their Farmer—including Tiny Bull and Big Sister Cow.
When the Farmer goes on a long journey, he promises to come back and make the farm the most amazing Farm in the whole world (maybe with a roller coaster!). But even though he leaves the Helper with the cows, their jobs aren’t always easy while they wait for the Farmer.
Tiny Bull faces adventures, danger, biting flies, and Angry Bulls. Other cows forget about the Farmer, are lazy, and just have fun all day, but Tiny Bull and his sister must keep obeying because one day, the Farmer will keep his promise. Can they keep going until he does?
Coming January 31, 2026
2 Corinthians 4:18
"Thus we keep our eyes not on our present sufferings, but on the glories to come. Our present sufferings, you see, last only a short time. The glories to come, however, continue on forever."
Behind
"When The Farmer's Returns"
by the author
My first books were for middle-grade and young adult readers, but a mom friend asked if I'd write picture books for her younger children. I answered with a, "You'll have to ask God about that! I only write stories that He inspires."
I wonder if she did pray that prayer, because one day, years later, while filling the cow's watering trough on our family's farm, ideas flooded into my mind--of a Farmer on a journey and cows who had to remain loyal and obedient while waiting for his return. I nearly ran inside to type them down, and within a few days, the entire book of The Farmer's Tale was penned!
Then I wondered how to find an illustrator and approached several artists who all fell through. Very clearly, I heard God asking me to trust Him and wait.
I did (for years). It seemed to be a dream that would never come to fruition, but I had to trust.
But after 3 years, God led me to Hannah K. Dukes--a friend of a friend of a friend. ;)
By the first concept she sent to my inbox, I was blown away. Immediately, I saw why God had me wait all these years: because Hannah's watercolor paintings encapsulated the heart of this book. They delighted the pages with vibrant colors and made the characters I wrote on paper come to life through art! Hannah was the perfect artist for this story. One year later, she sent me the final illustration, and I prepared for publication, nearly four years since God first inspired the book.
From the first pictures, I knew the wait was worth it... and that's the exact truth Little Bull learns in this story. He looks forward to an event in the future, a promise to come to pass, while everyone else says it'll never happen.
He has to remain faithful anyway.
I'm reminded through my own daily trials of the same reality: Jesus is coming back, just like Little Bull's Farmer, and we wait faithfully, lovingly, and joyfully.
It's my great hope that these pages adorned with a story God gave me and illustrations He provided through Hannah's skilled fingers encourage young readers. I pray those growing hearts see the beauty of the Gospel and know they're never too little to follow Jesus. I pray children (and adults!) are delighted by the loveliness of the paintings, treasure this simple story, and see Jesus in the pages.
Fun fact: this book's original title was The Farmer's Tale, until my illustrator and family laughingly suggested a change (to avoid the confusion of "tail"). After I thought through the themes and wanting the title centered on the true Hero of the story, the book settled with this current title.