Submitted by Deborah Kitt
Years ago, a wintertime stroll stirred a song in Deb Kitt’s heart. That song stayed with her for decades until, upon the birth of her first grandchild, she was inspired to finish it.
The song became a book inspired by her granddaughter and was published this year. Corinne, 3, lives in Japan, where her father is stationed with the U.S. Navy, so Kitt is unable to see her granddaughter or new grandson often.
“I wanted to show her how special she is to me,” Kitt said of her book, ‘It’s a Beautiful Night’ and the accompanying song of the same title. “Being so far away, you have to work hard to keep the connection going, and a book is something that can go with her around the world that she can remember me by.”
The book is sprinkled with details of Corinne’s grandparents — from an illustration of her grandfather feeding the pheasants, the Kitts raise and release each year to the specific markings on the family’s pets.
Kitt wrote the song, “It’s a Beautiful Night” as a college student home for Christmas. She was walking home from a party and was struck by how the night’s fresh snow glistened beneath a full moon.
“It was just the most beautiful thing — so quiet and calm,” Kitt said. “I felt the overwhelming feeling of peace. The first two stanzas came to me then.”
Kitt sang the song to herself for decades, thinking of that night. As a new grandmother, she felt compelled to finally bring the song to life.
“It made a perfect children’s book,” she said. “As a child, I was afraid of the dark, but I learned to see the beauty of the night and not what’s scary in the night. I hoped Corie – and other children – could learn to find that comfort too.”
“It’s a Beautiful Night” is available on Amazon, iTunes, and in select retailers. It was published in 2021 through Covenant Books.
