The Big Idea with PK Halinan

By Sandy Cathcart

Thirty-five years ago, PK Hallinan had a big idea. It may not have seemed like much at the time, but it certainly was a bigger idea than a child thinking thoughts about an elephant, which is exactly how his first publisher had portrayed his character thinking big thoughts.

“An elephant is not a very big thought,” PK explains. “Big thoughts are, well….BIG thoughts.”

To prove the point, PK decided to think big thoughts himself and set out to illustrate his own books. It didn’t matter that he had never illustrated a thing before. He had two good eyes and an imagination; surely he could come up with something better than elephants.

He started out with stick figures, but his figures soon developed arms and legs to go along with their animated smiling faces. And by the time he finished his manuscript, he realized his illustrations had improved so much he decided to redo the rest of the book. Whew!

With the completion of his book, he also had the first two of his three ingredients for his life-long recipe for success: 1) Work hard, 2) Finish what you start, and 3) Help others along the way.

Helping others along the way has become the underlying theme of PK’s life. Even though he has now written over 90 children’s books (many of them award-winning) with over 8,000,000 copies sold worldwide, and is hailed as the nation’s foremost author of children’s books that teach lifelong values, he still takes time out of his busy schedule to help others put their big ideas into action.

The first time I heard his motivational speech, “Find A Hole and Fill It,” I had trouble keeping up with taking notes and wiping tears out of my eyes from so much laughter. PK has a way of turning even the direst of circumstances into gut wrenching humor. Talk about motivational…I couldn’t wait to get home and apply some of his well-thought out principles. What hole could I fill? What need could I meet that no one else was meeting? PK’s message challenged and changed my life as he has done with so many others through school assemblies, service clubs, conferences, and banquets.

It may be a surprise to know that PK’s faith in God came to him late in life, yet though it came late it came with a big wallop. PK was nearing his fiftieth birthday when he realized that he had accomplished what he set out to do—he had made an impact on the world by selling a million books—yet he was still miserable. Selling ten million books wasn’t going to make him any happier. So, he and his wife Jeanne set out to read the Bible from end to end. PK was alone in his hotel room after speaking at a meeting in Fresno when he got stuck in Lamentations. He called Jeanne and said, “This is horrible stuff.”

“Skip to the Gospel of John,” was her wise reply.

When PK read, “…the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” he stopped. As a writer he knew there was no reason in the world for John to have written this convoluted testimony about Jesus unless it was true. That evening the Gospel of John lit a fire in PK’s heart that has been burning to this day.

Soon PK discovered that God had a bigger idea than he could have ever dreamed. PK is currently a pastor, and his books, even those that were written before he gave his life to the Lord, are being sold in Christian bookstores across the nation. PK never once felt the need to go back and change a word of any of his earlier books. “It’s amazing,” PK says. “The messages in my books have always been absolutely appropriate. It turns out that God was speaking to me all along.”

Pk’s books gently teach values that warm hearts of both children and adults. He writes stories about being a good kid, a good parent, a loving person, and doing the right thing. It’s about helping parents and children live better and happier lives. And that’s the biggest idea of all. As PK says, “You just can’t fail when you walk with God.”

For more information on PK and his wonderful books, and even his dog Scruffy, visit www.pkhallinan.com

Sandy Cathcart writes from Prospect, Oregon. Scatquarryhewn@aol.com