If you ever wondered about the stories that an old home could tell, Erin Napier likely wrote your new favourite children’s book. The Lantern House is a heartwarming story told from the perspective of an old house. And if you’re a Home Town fan, yes, Erin’s book was partially inspired by her and Ben’s 1925 craftsman in Laurel, Mississippi.
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The Home Town Host’s First Children’s Book
“The house is, at first, I think, a little bit proud and maybe kind of indifferent. It’s just a brand new house built in the early 1940s, and then a couple moves in,” Erin explains in a 2021 interview with People. “You see that the woman is expecting a baby, and the house becomes more human when that baby arrives. It gets attached to this family. It watches the little girl grow up and then builds a kind of sadness as the family changes.”
Related: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Ben and Erin Napier From Home Town Takeover
All About The Lantern House
Curious to learn more? Here’s a synopsis of Erin’s debut children’s story.
“Imagine a house’s early days as a home: A young family builds a picket fence and plants flowers in its yard, children climb the magnolia tree and play the piano in the living room, and there is music inside the house for many happy years. But what will happen when its windows grow dark, its paint starts to crumble, and its boards creak in the winter wind? The house dreams of a family who will love it again…and one day, a new story will emerge from within its walls.”
Erin and Adam talk about their creative approach to writing and illustrating this new classic in the video below.
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Paired with beautiful artwork by illustrator Adam Trest, we have a good feeling that The Lantern House will become a bestseller. You can buy your own copy here: The Lantern House, Amazon, $24.
More Books for Young HGTV Fans
Fun fact: Erin is not the only HGTV host to become a children’s book author. Drew and Jonathan Scott wrote two picture books for young readers, including Builder Brothers Big Plans and Builder Brothers: Better Together. We can’t wait to see if more HGTV hosts follow suit!
Photos and video courtesy of The Hatchett Book Group, Laurel Mercantile and Erin Napier via Instagram.
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