0
items
$0
Where’s Mari?
This children’s book (for ages 6-12+) uses rich, detailed illustrations and an interactive search-and-find format to allow the reader to explore and learn about the cities they live in. Children are fully engaged when given literature that contains lots of hand-drawn details they can get lost in. Seeing their local surroundings and environment in a book can be magical for a child who is just learning to read, write, and express themselves through language.
The books’ storyline follows the adventures of the wandering titular cat, Mari, and will address topics like sustainability, conservation and climate change through the intricately layered narratives found in an urban Indian city. The books illustrations serve as an authentic record of life and livelihoods in modern day India with depictions of nature, busy street scenes, and domestic interiors for children to explore in detail. We know that stories and characters are a great way to get young readers curious about the world, and I wish to encourage them to observe the patterns of life in our environment.
The interplay between the built structures of a city and the natural world, in a constantly changing landscape, is full of stories that teach crucial and universal lessons. The book will be in a search-and-find format—predominantly visual—with text used to drive the narrative forward and pose open-ended questions and talking points to the readers. I set out to create a book with hand-illustrated artwork that children (and people of all ages) can pore over, while discovering hidden details along the way.
Rough sketches of people doing various activities, to form part of one of the book spreads
A Neighbourhood Walk
Work in progress
This set of richly detailed flashcards is inspired by nature walks with my son in our neighbourhood. It is so important for a child growing their vocabulary to see depictions that reinforce their everyday surroundings.