Turner’s storied writing career started nearly 20 years ago, and he has published a book every year. Called “one of Christianity’s fresh voices” by Publisher’s Weekly, Turner’s other notable works include Our Great Big American God, Churched, Coffeehouse Gospel and The Christian Culture Survival Guide.
About Matthew
Matthew Paul Turner has made his mark as force in the Christian children’s book publishing world. With his unmatched gift for rhyme blended with deliberate messages of hope and empowerment, Matthew’s books When God
Made You and When I Pray For You have become bedtime favorites for families across America. His latest anticipated release is I Am God’s Dream, which will debut April 2022.
Matthew’s storied writing career started nearly 20 years ago, and he has published a book every year. Called “one of Christianity’s fresh voices” by Publisher’s Weekly, Matthew’s other notable works include Our Great Big American God, Churched, Coffeehouse Gospel and The Christian Culture Survival Guide.
When God Made You was an Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) bestseller, described as “‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’ meets the Divine” by recording artist, Amy Grant.
Other popular children’s books by Matthew include When I Pray for You, which made the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly, and Wall Street Journal bestseller charts, as well as his 2021 release, What Is God Like?, a collaboration with his late, beloved friend, Rachel Held Evans, which became a #1 New York Times bestselling title.
Additionally, Matthew is an accomplished photographer and journalist. He traveled all over the world documenting National Geographic’s “The Story of God with Morgan Freeman”. For the past decade, Matthew has also traveled extensively with World Vision to places such as Tacloban, Philippines; Entebbe, Uganda; Cochabamba, Bolivia; Gyumri, Armenia; and other locations documenting the vast effects of poverty and the humanitarian efforts of the non-profit. His writing has appeared in outlets that include the Washington Post, National Geographic, USA Today and Daily Beast.
Matthew lives in Nashville, Tennessee with his three elementary-aged children. In his free time, he enjoys portrait photography, woodworking, and cooking for his family and friends.
Reviews
“When God Made You’ is one of the most beautiful, most compelling, and most life-affirming children’s books I’ve ever read–it’s ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go’ meets the Divine. This book is a gift for kids of all ages!” –Amy Grant, six-time Grammy Award-winning artist
“One of the most beautiful children’s books I’ve ever read and the walls of our house are lined with books.” –Ann Voskamp, author of the New York Times Bestsellers, “The Greatest Gift” & “One Thousand Gifts“
“The main character is a brown-skinned girl with cornrows, yet the book is not a diversity tale. It’s a celebration of the imago Dei in every child. There is no heavy-handedness here, just the beauty of creation and creating.” –Christian Century
Media
Learn more about Matthew Paul Turner and his work.
When God Made You 0:37
Through playful, charming rhyme and vivid, fantastical illustrations, When God Made You inspires young readers to learn about their own special gifts and how they fit into God’s divine plan as they grow, explore, and begin to create for themselves.
When God Made Light 0:47
‘Let there be light!’ that’s what God said. And light began shining and then started to spread.” Wild and creative illustrations from top children’s illustrator David Catrow pair with Matthew Paul Turner’s lyrical verse in this message of a God-made light that cuts through darkness to bring vision and hope to all young readers.
Children share how
God made them 1:12
About When God Made You
YOU, you… God thinks about you.
God was thinking of you long before your debut.
