A GOOD NIGHT IN THE JUNGLE

A GOOD NIGHT IN THE JUNGLE
A Ken Beck Feature

Amy Parker books put kiddos at ease at beddy-bye.

It’s a jungle out there, and for bestselling children’s author Amy Parker and her bedtime readers, that’s a good thing. More personally, for Parker, a true believer, it’s a God thing. “It’s really fun when a new book lands on my doorstep, but the best part is seeing how kids interact or having a mom tell me, ‘My child says ‘night night, God every night,’” said Parker, who graduated from Watertown High School in 1994.

Parker, who lives in Murfreesboro with her husband and two sons, has written more than 50 books and sold over 1.5 million copies. She will celebrate the debut of “Night Night, Jungle,” the eighth in her series of “Night Night” books, 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, at the Rainforest Café at Opry Mills in Nashville and will read from her book at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m.

The author has deep roots in Smith County as her great-grandfather, Rev. J.J. Thomas, was a pastor in Hickman, and her grandfather, Lewis Thomas, lived in Hickman and went to high school there before moving to Watertown. Her brother, Tony McLain, lives in Brush Creek and has operated Paint and Body Pro Shop in Carthage for about 20 years, and Parker has paid author visits to Gordonsville Elementary School in the past for her nephews, John and Christopher.

About her newest book, “Night Night, Jungle,” she said, “We researched rainforest animals—their habitats and their behaviors— and then tried to put as many of those details as possible into a cozy, rhyming ‘Night Night’ book. So, while little ones are being lulled to sleep in the jungle, they’re also learning about the true nature of the rainforest itself,” she said.

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