THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Spring in the Woods and Summer at the Seashore by Claire Lordon (by Claire Lordon)

MY STORY BEHIND THE STORY by Claire Lordon:

"Spring in the Woods" was the first book in this series that I illustrated and I knew that it would set the tone for the rest of the books. I grew up going hiking and camping but it had been a while since I’d gone. I decided to take a trip to the Capilano Bridge Suspension Park north of Vancouver to do some research and take some photos. 

I wanted to make sure I added something a little extra, that wasn’t included in the text. Visiting the park I came up with a few ideas including ferns and pinecones but I ultimately decided on mushrooms. Being submerged in a wooded area helped me understand the feeling I wanted to convey in the final book. 

For "Summer at the Seashore", I remembered going to the beach in Rhode Island. The beaches were wonderful because the sand was great for making sandcastles and the water was surprisingly warm in the summer. While I didn’t see many regular crabs there were numerous horseshoe crabs!

I wanted this book to have very graphic shapes and colors, similar to some art pieces I made in the past. The nature of the book being a 'search and find' book is suitable for flat, graphic, images. This way the reader might be somewhat tricked where something is, but at the same time, young minds can look for similar shapes and colors to find the desired object. You may notice that there is a path on the bottom of the Spring book. It matches up with the seafoam on the Summer book. These paths will also align with the Fall and Winter books too.

The colors were very important choices as well. I wanted them to immediately convey the idea and warmth of each season. 

I had such a fun time creating the art for these books and I hope you enjoy them too!

Jacket flap from Spring: 

So much to see and do on a walk in the woods in the spring! We can find and count all the animals, flowers, and insects as more and more appear and change positions from page to page; we can look at all the different colours; we can join in the fun.

This new series of picture books has the repetition children enjoy, along with colourful, cheerful illustrations packed with things to look for, and an engaging story line. 

Join us on our lively walk!

Jacket flap from Summer:

So much to see and do on a walk at the seashore in the summer! We can find and count all the animals, flowers, and insects as more and more appear and change positions from page to page; we can look at all the different colours; we can join in the fun.

This new series of picture books has the repetition children enjoy, along with colourful, cheerful illustrations packed with things to look for, and an engaging story line. Join us on our lively walk!

Author Bio:

Claire Lordon is an illustrator and designer living in Vancouver, Canada. She creates children's books, surface designs, murals, maps, and greeting cards for a number of companies.
Claire earned her BFA in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, with a focus in digital illustration, educational media, and surface design. 
Her work is inspired by her lifelong spirit for adventure, a love of the outdoors, and an enthusiasm for travel. She enjoys long distance running, hiking, and snowboarding.

Website: www.clairelordon.com

Twitter: @ClaireLordon

Instagram: clairelordondesign

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