This project was made for a competition called PictureThis!, which is an initiative by Lemniscaat Publishers (NL) and other international children's book publishers.
The story and drawings are all inspired from growing up on a farm, and my own memories of looking for wild meadow birds. :)
A Little Meadow Surprise
Lonna is playing in the fields next to her father’s farm when she suddenly hears some rustling in the grass. Could it be a wolf? Will it flash its teeth and bite her fingers? The girl carefully steps closer but can’t see what is making the noise… Yet there she hears it again! Parting the grass, she finds its source: it’s a lost little chick!
Feeling a connection with the lonely little bird, Lonna carefully takes it with her, making it a mission to take care of it as best she can. She immediately introduces the small meadow bird to everyone else on the farm. When she excitedly jumps towards her father to show her new best friend, he is very surprised. The little birdy has a beak, small feathers and wings, but isn't a goose, chicken or parakeet… it's a wild kievit! Which unfortunately grow fewer and fewer in the Netherlands.
Lonna has to gather her courage to let her little meadow friend go back to nature. To find its family and friends there… just like Lonna who will have to make new friends at her first day of school soon! The experience of discovering an unlikely little friend strengthening her heart for her next scary adventure.
A heart-warming story about finding new friends and letting go, about farm life,
and learning about protecting nature and farmland birds.
Lonna finds a baby chick! She instantly feels a connection to the lonely little bird, and decides to take care of her.
Lonna shows the baby chick how fun her fathers’ farm is, and how many other animals live there. The cows are so big!
When Lonna shows her new best friend to her father, he is very surprised. It’s actually a kievit chick!
But that means… she can’t keep it.
The images were all made with ink on watercolour paper, scanned and then coloured digitally.
