The 'Something's Growing On...' project explores how a picture book for children can celebrate and highlight the complex beauty of nature and its unseen microcosms. It is a design-initiated attempt to evoke awareness and appreciation for the other-than-human worlds — and through this — to address the anthropocentric view of our times.
The book 'Something's Growing On...' is an illustrated, wordless story that introduces an ‘unusual event’ that takes place in a bustling-buzzing residency of many. As this ‘unusual event’ happens to be a sprouting potato, the characters — a motley team of different bugs, beetles, insects, small mammals and worms — follow and celebrate the growth of this familiar crop through the pages of the book.
The story aims to be a humble and truthful, yet inviting and accessible representation of the portrayed creatures' perspectives and the nature of nature. It intends to provide its readers with space for in-depth observation, perceptive exploration, and personal interpretation — and, through this, hopes to be a source of motivation for a self-initiated understanding and a sense of stewardship and care for the world’s outstanding entanglement. The picture book seeks to represent constancy and change, joy and sorrow, care and cruelty, growth and decay.
To be published by Les Editions La Joie de Lire.
“The Pile is home to many smaller and bigger residents. Life goes on underground, on the surface and in the air. Everyone lives their busy lives, and they always know what to do. But one sleepy morning, something ‘unusual’ happens… What is this ‘unusual event’, and what happens to the Pile-residents afterwards? Flip through the pages of the book and find out…”
Bustling-Encyclopedia
At the end of the book, there is a brief introduction to each character in the story, explaining some of the creatures' main attributes and habits. The appendix is designed to give readers an insight into the true nature of the creatures presented and to provide important information that can help them embrace the content of the book.
Natural Pigments
The colourful textures of the illustrations are painted with pigments made only from natural materials such as charcoal, coffee, black tea, spinach, beetroot, grass, onion peel & turmeric. The illustrations are a mix of these analogue bases and digital methods.
