Inspiration: Stories are a huge part of my family's life. Through the years picture books have helped me to connect and spark conversations with my young children, sometimes on difficult topics. When I saw this Coronavirus picture book challenge, I knew I needed to enter, as it is an opportunity to hopefully support children and families through this difficult period. In these unprecedented times, we are all feeling so many emotions, and it is important to recognize that, and find a way to connect and move forward together, as best we can. My children miss their school, friends and normal routines, but they find positivity in every day, and they are my true inspiration.
What it does: Hallie Helps Out is a story about a young girl's feelings and actions in response to the Coronavirus upending her normal routines. In the story, readers will feel Hallie's initial excitement to stay home, to her being sad about being trapped at home, to be nervous about the new world around her, and ultimately inspired and empowered to help make a difference. This story helps readers to see they are not the only ones experiencing a rollercoaster of new emotions and feelings, and hopefully is a source of inspiration to be a be a helper too.
How I built it: I am an aspiring author, and recently just wrote my first story last year. When I saw the contest I was immediately inspired to enter, but I had never illustrated a book, and I knew to develop a complete book within a week was going to be a challenge. I started writing the manuscript, and just thought I would see where it took me. Once I finished the copy, I started sketching Hallie and some of the key scenes and the layout that I wanted became pretty clear throughout that process. As I saw the book keep developing and coming to life, I could not put the pencil down - lots of late nights and coffee, until it was complete.
Challenges I ran into: As I mentioned, this is the first book I have fully written and illustrated, and to complete that in one week was not an easy feat. All that being said, the biggest challenge for me was the illustration and final composition of the book. I actually drew the book using my kids' colored pencils, so with better software and tools, I would have envisioned some more detailed illustrations, and a deeper color palette but I worked with what I had, and am proud of how it ultimately came together.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of: First, I am proud that I believed in myself to complete this book in a very compressed timeframe. I work full time and have a 2 and 4 year old, so I could have made a lot of excuses not to enter, but I dove in and am really proud to share "Hallie Helps Out" with you for consideration. Throughout this process my daughter quickly realized my dedication to creating this story; and yesterday told me she needed to finish her story too, and asked me to staple her book together (it is about a zoo!).
What I learned: I graduated college 14 years ago, and felt like I was in college again this past week completing this Coronavirus picture book challenge. First and foremost, I reminded myself that if you are excited and dedicated to something, anything is possible. Second, I have done a fair amount of research on the process for developing story books, but there is no better way to learn that to do. In the past week I have learned more about the illustration, layout and composition process than I could have imagined. I hope Hallie Helps Out is selected as the winning story, to be shared with children and families around the world, but no matter what I walk away from this contest with a wealth of newly acquired knowledge, and that is a fabulous prize if you ask me.
What's next for Hallie Helps Out. I am excited to share "Hallie Helps Out" with your panel of judges, and look forward to your feedback. In the meantime, I am also excited to share the story with family and friends, so they can hopefully use it as a resource and inspiration during these difficult times.
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