Hanna Schock

My name is Hanna Schock, and I have many loves besides the love you see for picture books on this blog. First love is for my family, my wonderful husband who is also my best friend, my two teenagers, and my large extended family. Friends are also essential treasures of my abundant life. When I’m with those I love most, life seems very rich and full.

For almost all of my life, I have had the privilege of being surrounded by the loving and grace-filled ways of United Methodists. Being a Christian is central to who I am and how I view the world, but for this blog, I hope to offer ideas for theological learning that cross boundaries of denomination and even religion.

Other important influences, besides my faith and the people who surround me, are my years as a mother, teacher, small group facilitator, curriculum designer, and especially my training as a nationally certified school psychologist. These experiences will critically inform much of what I offer here. I delight in considering how children and adults would best learn a particular concept and then offering ideas for programming and ministry.

Most of my life I’ve lived in Birmingham, AL where the scars of racism and the hopes of the Civil Rights Movement greatly impact how I view the world. For decades I have attended First United Methodist Church, where only 2 blocks away a bomb placed at 16th Street Baptist Church killed 4 young girls 50 years ago. As you might have guessed, I am an avid reader. Besides picture books, I read mostly fiction and spiritual writing. I am convinced that the world is a better place when people read, stories especially.

I’m embarking on this daring journey of a picture book a day for 365 days because I fervently believe, after months of discernment, that God has asked me to make this offering to you, a gift that I hope will lead to better learning and living in all of our sacred places.