Former truck driver Charles McKee was on the road for 11 hours a day: That’s 660 miles of interstate and more than five times the width of Indiana. Through creativity inspired by a parent’s love, he found a way to close the distance between the places he visited and his daughters Hannah and Brianna back home.

Christina McKee holds her author copy of “Postcards from Papa” on the book’s delivery day. Photo provided by Christina McKeeIUPUI Center for Young Children teacher Christina McKee, Charles’ wife and the girls’ mother, tells their story in her first children’s book, “Postcards from Papa.”

“My husband came up with this great idea that for every city that he visited, he would send our daughters postcards,” McKee said. “‘Postcards from Papa’ is actually the events that took place when Hannah received her first week’s worth of postcards from him in the mail.”

For Hannah, the postcards were more than pinpoints on a map; they were a reminder that her dad was thinking of her from thousands of miles away.

“We went over what state he was in and how far away he was from home, so it was a learning experience as well as something she can bond with him over,” McKee said.

Years later, a chance meeting with Lynn Matchett, a visiting author at her daughters’ school, inspired McKee to recount the story in a children’s book. 

“I just turned 50, and I have always dreamed of writing and publishing a children’s book. I felt it was time to make this a reality,” said Matchett, whose book “Soft Brown Ears” came out earlier this year. “The experience was very rewarding.”

As McKee finished writing “Postcards from Papa,” Matchett took on the role of mentor. She directed McKee to online self-publishing resources and booksellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

“Honestly, I feel Christina was ready to tackle this project,” Matchett said. “She just needed to see it was possible for a regular person to go through the process.”

With Matchett’s guidance, McKee also began seeking an illustrator.

“The website that we both use is called Reedsy, and you can go on their website and hire anybody you need to publish your book,” McKee said. “You can hire a publisher, editor, illustrator — you can even hire an author if you’re an illustrator yourself.”

Through Reedsy, award-winning children’s author and illustrator J.C. Perry began working with McKee from her home in Lancashire, England. The family dynamic in McKee’s book brought back memories of Perry’s own childhood.

“Hannah missed her papa when he was away truck driving, and when I was younger, I’d miss my own dad who used to build trucks for Seddon Atkinson, which meant he’d often be away for long spells,” Perry said.

“Postcards from Papa” represented a new beginning for Perry as well as McKee. While illustrating her own books, Perry developed her unique art style, which shaped the illustrations in McKee’s book.

“With previous books I’d illustrated for other authors, the author asked me to illustrate it in a particular style of their choosing,” Perry said. “‘Postcards from Papa’ is the first book for another author that I’ve illustrated in my own style. This was a big deal for me.”

McKee remembers the first time Perry sent her a drawing of Hannah. It remains one of her favorite memories of the publication process.

“I don’t even know how to describe it. It was unimaginable, magical, just to see your child and your hard work come to life,” McKee said.

Hannah McKee, left, and her book likeness created by illustrator J.C. Perry. Photo provided by Christina McKeeWith the story and illustrations packaged together in one cohesive unit, McKee saw the end of her journey on the horizon: the moment “Postcards from Papa” would go live on Amazon. On Aug. 29, she stared down the “PUBLISH” button on her computer. Her years of work had all come down to that moment.

“My husband was actually home while I was uploading my copy, and we dragged the mouse over together,” McKee said.

McKee hopes that “Postcards from Papa” will reach other kids whose parents travel for work. As a teacher for the Center for Young Children, she recognizes the value in representing all family dynamics.

“There’s not a cookie-cutter family,” McKee said. “It’s really important for children to see that, because at these ages that books reach them, it makes them feel connected to their world.”

Kate Hayes, the center’s director, said that relating to a book is empowering for new readers.

“When children see themselves in a book, or see their family’s life in a book, it just makes them smile, because whether on the inside or the outside, that’s a part of them,” she said.

Such opportunities are in no short supply at the Center for Young Children. Hayes and the center’s educators make sure every child in their care interacts with books daily, from infants to preschoolers.

McKee, an infant teacher, introduces children to reading using board books they can touch and chew on.

“Even though they’re not fully understanding, they’re grasping all these wonderful sounds and pictures in the book and really developing that early relationship with reading,” Hayes said.

McKee plans to continue writing children’s books centered on truck drivers and their families. Her second book will be about Hannah’s sister, Brianna, who often chatted with their dad over video calls while she ate dinner.

“It’s going to be titled, roughly, “Video Calls from Papa,” because truckers’ phones are kind of like their lifelines,” McKee said.

Just like Matchett, McKee encourages aspiring children’s authors to tell their stories. She knows firsthand that the importance is twofold for author and reader alike.

“Even if your book only reaches one child, it’s worth it,” McKee said. “Being part of the children’s world for almost 20 plus years myself, being in education, I can see the children’s faces light up when they find something they connect to.”

Maggie Hoppel is a communications intern in Auxiliary Services at IUPUI.