Page 6: They can laugh, they can cry, and they need love.
Artist: Chia Hsieh.
Page description and purpose: How to express such emotional responses with their causes across just two pages? The answer is to show the same flower characters in their garden setting, facing the changing weather of the day. Over a single day, life can confront us with hardship and surprise us with moments of such joy - bringing laughter and tears. Flowers need both sunshine and rainfall to survive; these elements are shared with them all, just as we share this earth together. The rain that passes as a storm aids the nourishment they need to grow. This isn’t a message in favour of suffering at all, but affirms that through difficulties we can persist and thrive, as individuals and together. We all need love; this is a non-negotiable fact for all life. And just as plants need each other, so do we all need each other. Like companion plants that aid each other's growth, a variety in life's garden enriches us all. I chose Chia due to one image of hers: a mole sleeping among flowers. It’s such a soft and dreamy illustration that invites us into its restful and magical world. This double-page spread will feature three images in total—two smaller ones on the left page and a larger one on the right—of the flower characters in the changing weather conditions, showing how the weather impacts the flowers' moods. The flowers will demonstrate that while our inner forecast is connected to and affected by the world around us, our reason for laughter and cause for tears are not solely influenced by external circumstances, and great self-love can be nourished within through healthy roots of self-reliance balanced with our interdependence with others. Another reminder from this page is that just as the weather changes, so do we. We can all learn to welcome change, for it is natural, inevitable and most beneficial. All experiences can contribute to our holistic well-being.
Welcome, Chia. Your soft, dreamy artistry will create a truly magical and reflective moment for our readers. Thrilled to have you on board. Rose
Chia Hsieh is a freelance illustrator and independent art educator. She graduated with an MA in Children's Book Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art in the UK, specialising in various media. She was selected for The Children-Spectators Illustration Competition at the 2022 Bologna Children's Book Fair and won the 2023 Picture This! Competition in the UK. She has a preference for using materials, with texture being a constant fascination for her. In addition to her proficiency in traditional hand-drawn media such as watercolour, pencil, and charcoal, she also enjoys exploring new creative methods.