It’s been a privilege to get to illustrate this book and to bring Manda to life. I share with you the cover art for “Manda and the Fish.”
Available in all bookstores.
From the moment 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, it became clear that this would be a very special project.
Cecile and Keith lost their only daughter to Congenital Heart Disease.
Manda will be Noah’s second book to be included in the Reading Is Healing program. 100% of profits from the sale of Noah’s books will help fund this program which provides Noah’s books to the libraries of children’s hospitals. To learn more about the program visit: https://www.livelikenoah.org/reading-is-healing
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. I chose an intense color palette of rich blues and greens and contrasted them with complementary hues. It was an intuitive and mindful process.
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.
