A Bit of News...I'm Illustrating a Book Series!
Well, friends…I’m illustrating a book series and I couldn’t be more excited! It all started after I met a really awesome human earlier this year while my husband and I had our first “WWOOF” experience. Any other WWOOFers out there?! Well for those who may not have heard of it, WWOOF stands for World Wide Organization of Organic Farming. It’s a super cool program where people can visit and work on farms to reconnect with the land, learn how to grow food, take care of animals, and connect with like-minded individuals.
We loved our first WWOOF experience in the historic and beautiful small town of Bishop Hill, Illinois. My husband, Ryan, and I were warmly welcomed by our hosts, Lauren and Tanner, who were happy to involve us in making maple syrup, grafting trees, brewing homemade cider, and taking care of animals - including a flock of sheep! Lauren also introduced us to several people in town during our stay. This included her maple-syruping partner, Brian “Fox” Ellis: a professional storyteller, bed and breakfast owner, and one of the most interesting people I have ever met.
I first encountered Fox in his bed and breakfast, the Twinflower Inn - a beautiful old house originally built in 1855 to serve as a community hospital. He was busy in the kitchen boiling down the maple sap that was tapped from the 100+ year old maple trees on Lauren’s land. This was the final step after collecting sap from the trees, slowly boiling that sap down in an outdoor wood-fired evaporator (see left), and then taking the sweet liquid to a big pot in Fox’s kitchen and boiling it further until it reached the perfect sugar percentage. This fire (left) had to consistently burn for 2+ weeks, adding sap and stoking the fire every few hours - all through the day and night! This is a lot of work, friends. While Fox, Lauren, and Tanner took the brunt of the work, Ryan and I had a taste over a few days - I honestly really enjoyed the quiet hours in the middle of the night and early in the morning, listening to the fire crackle and bird songs, smelling the smoky sweetness in the air. Although I’m sure it would’ve lost a bit of its charm after the second week!
After meeting Fox in his kitchen, he promptly invited us to the Creative Commons (a creative community space in town that he co-owns with a friend) that night for a potluck and concert with a touring band. We gladly accepted the invite and were so happy we did. The band was fantastic, the food lovely, the company even better. Fox showed us his shelves of books, historical treasures, collection of hats for his many characters, and even popped a bottle of nice whiskey to share. It was a great night, and Ryan and I felt a true connection with this unique soul and knew we wanted to stay in touch.
Shortly after we headed back home, I followed up with Fox online and mentioned that if he ever needed an artist, I was available and ready. As it turned out, he was planning to release a folktale book series and was looking for an illustrator! It was kismet, as they say. I received several book drafts and got to work shortly after!
More on the Book Series:
Each book in the series features a collection of short stories that revolve around a single ecological theme. They’re written in a style that appeals to everyone, young and old - however, they’ve been specifically written to be a great resource for 4th graders and up. The first book is called A River of Stories: The True History and Historical Folklore of the Illinois River. The stories are wonderful - some he made up, some he retells, some ancient, some true, some not so true, but amazing all the same! The second book is called Tall Tree Tales: The Folklore and Natural History of Trees. Be sure to check out this one, as well. I especially love the stories “The Tangerine” and “Three Green Ladies on One Tree Hill.”
This folktale series is my first dip in the world of book illustration and will be an ongoing project for me - I’m really enjoying the process so far! The plan is to illustrate each cover to look like a unique quilt, and then do black and white pencil sketches for each story inside the book. The heart behind the series is to encourage the reader to fall more in love with nature, history, and the art of storytelling. I really stand behind these books and the overarching environmental conservation theme. Definitely check them out and give them a read!
The first FOUR books of the folktale series are now available for purchase on Amazon!
There will at least be five books in the series, with potential for up to twelve! Be sure to follow me on Instagram to stay updated as new books are released.
Grab your own copy of Tall Tree Tales: The Folklore and Natural History of Trees on Amazon >>
Grab your own copy of Fox Tales: The Folklore and Natural History of The Fox on Amazon >>