Children’s Author Kerry Padrick Releases “In Search of Sweet Dreams,” a Bedtime Story About Faith and Nighttime Fear

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Kerry Padrick, a retired educator with three decades in the classroom, has released a new children’s book, "In Search of Sweet Dreams," published through Christian Faith Publishing.

The story follows a girl named Marley as she tries to settle her mind at bedtime, contending with imagined marshmallow blobs and monsters that keep her awake. According to the publisher’s synopsis, Marley learns over the course of the book that she doesn’t have to manage her fear entirely on her own — the story frames her eventual rest as something that comes through faith rather than willpower alone, built around the verse from Proverbs 3:24: "When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet."

"I wanted to create a story that speaks directly to children’s real nighttime anxieties," Padrick said in the announcement, "showing them that faith isn’t abstract or distant, but a present comfort they can hold onto when darkness feels overwhelming."

After retiring to Tennessee, Padrick transitioned from full-time teaching to writing children’s books. "In Search of Sweet Dreams" follows an earlier book, "In Search of Happy," which centers on a boy searching for joy — a companion theme to the new release’s focus on nighttime fear. Both books are aimed at young readers and pitched to parents and educators as tools for talking through specific childhood emotions.

"In Search of Sweet Dreams" is available in paperback and through major online retailers including Amazon, Apple Books, Google Play, and Barnes & Noble.

Studio CarryOnHarry sees this as part of a steady pattern in faith-based children’s publishing: small, emotion-specific stories pitched directly at a single bedtime or mealtime struggle. It’s a narrow lane, but one with a built-in, repeat audience of parents looking for exactly that kind of book.

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