I wish I could say that Juniper Lou appeared to me in a dream, but she was definitely the child of anxiety and insomnia, the result of parenting during a global pandemic. 

After focusing on children’s illustration while earning my master’s, it was always a goal of mine to write/illustrate a children’s book, but life, illness, obligations kept getting in my way. A global crisis was apparently the push I needed. Within the first week of lock down with two kids, I knew what I wanted and needed to do to stay sane, pass the time, and document what was happening in the world. I desperately needed to create in order to process everything. I also knew this was a big moment in history I wanted to record in terms children could understand. The story came to me in the middle of a sleepless night, and I began excitedly illustrating the next day. My family, town, and current news influenced so many of the little details I put into each page. I worked long hours getting it done as quickly as I could because I knew this was a timely subject, and being hyper focused on one thing helped a lot, although being interrupted constantly by real life obligations definitely proved challenging. Seeing my kids laugh at each new illustration helped spur me on. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, and shed many frustrated tears from trying to parent, create, and publish a book during an already stressful time, but ultimately I’m so glad I did.

I’ve had many different jobs along the way to prepare me for this challenge, and was able to write, illustrate, layout, design and self-publish the book fairly quickly because of that, although there were several hiccups along the way that taught me even more about the process. 

My biggest hope at the time was for this book to bring a smile and a sense of togetherness during a difficult shared, but lonely, experience. Years later, I think it’s a bit like a time capsule. I’m really thankful for what I learned through the experience.

In Juniper Lou to the Rescue, Juniper is faced with new challenges as everyone around her falls mysteriously ill. She has to learn how to pass the time alone, but also that it’s okay to ask for help sometimes. While Juniper appears to be alone in so many of the pages, it’s actually community that drives her thoughtful choices.