Jennifer Copeland shares faith, family tradition through debut children’s book

By Lauren Rodgers, RealWV

MONROE COUNTY, W.Va. — Educator and author Jennifer Copeland comes from a long line of storytellers. Raised on her grandmother’s stories, Copeland “got the bug” and brought her family’s storytelling tradition to her children, nephews, and students. 

Encouraged by her children and nephews to write down her stories, Copeland’s words can now be enjoyed by the world — Copeland’s debut children’s book, Tigman Turtle: The Missing Shell was published this spring. 

Copeland’s tender story is both a hallmark of her passion for storytelling and an homage to her family traditions.

“I’ve always loved to write, and I’ve always wanted to write a book,” Copeland said. 

Inspiration for new stories strikes her at random — from digging weeds in her garden to working the cattle on her farm in Monroe County, she discovers meaningful lessons in daily experiences. 

The story of Tigman Turtle was one that she had told to children for years, and had mulled over turning into a book — but it wasn’t until Copeland chose to include scripture in her writing that she felt compelled to make her dream into a reality.

 “I kept thinking, ‘I need to write this story down,’” Copeland said. “But when I got the idea to incorporate scripture into the book, it suddenly all came together.”

To begin her venture into bookmaking, Copeland enrolled in Belinda Anderson’s class at New River Community College, where she received feedback on the first drafts of her manuscript and learned the ins and outs of publishing. 

After taking the class at New River, Copeland chose to self-publish under the name Quilt & Quill Publishing LLC. The name for her publishing company is inspired by her passion for hand quilting, a skill that was passed down to her by her grandmother. 

Copeland also used her talents in quiltmaking to help fund the creation of her book.

The story of Tigman Turtle, aimed towards readers ages 4 to 10, is a lesson in patience, understanding, and forgiveness. 

Influenced by scripture, Copeland hopes that the story of Tigman Turtle will help young readers deepen their understanding of God’s word through fictional storytelling and make scripture more accessible for young minds.

 “There’s no reason that learning scripture can’t be fun,” she said. 

The book, which pairs heartfelt writing with vibrant illustrations, also includes a small activity section that encourages readers to continue engagement with the book beyond storytime. For her live readings, Copeland has interactive toys and activities that children can use to further explore Tigman’s fictional world.

Copeland’s book is available for purchase on Amazon, the Big Four Drugstore in Hinton, the Linden Deli and More in Lindside, and is also available in the Summers County and Peterstown public libraries. 

She is already developing a sequel to her first story, as well as a Christmas story, a reimagining of the classic Goldilocks tale, a rhyming baby book, and an adaptation of an old-time folk song. 

Copeland is proud of her work and hopes that others can share in her joy, no matter their religion. 

“There is a good lesson to be learned in Tigman’s story. My hope is that all readers, regardless of their religious beliefs, can take a good lesson from the book,” she said.

Tigman Turtle: The Missing Shell can be found here.