Manda and the Fish - Book Illustration

Written by Noah Bella Michaelis, and illustrated by yours truly Manda and the Fish is a story about a Native American girl who challenges her tribe's gender roles and ultimately gets to fish like her brothers and father. . Noah’s parents, Cecile and Keith Michaelis, co-founders of Live Like Noah Foundation and longtime friends, approached me about illustrating one of Noah’s stories. Cecile and Keith lost their only daughter to Congenital Heart Disease. Over a period of 2 years I collaborated closely with Cecile and Keith and immersed myself in Noah’s story. Staying sensitive to the material I allowed her words to create images in my mind. I developed those initial images into pictures that captured the essence of the characters and communicated the narrative, clearly. Manda and the Fish is a story about a young, Native American girl who yearns to fish like her father and brothers, but designated gender roles in her tribe keep her from exploring this dream. One morning, Manda sets out to prove that anyone should be able to fish. Little does she know how her actions that day will ultimately affect her and everyone else in her tribe. Live Like Noah Foundation was founded to carry on Noah’s legacy of goodwill and continue her work of advocacy for the #1 birth defect worldwide, Congenital Heart Disease. A Tale of Courage, Empowerment, and Adventure with lush and vibrant artwork.