Čarobno drevo is the second picture book I have created with Petra Šuštar.
It is another fairy‑tale meditation, yet creatively it differs from Smaragdni gozd želja (The Emerald Forest of Wishes). That earlier landscape feels more undefined and ethereal. Although its characters have distinct traits, the focus still rests mainly on the central protagonist.
In Čarobno drevo it is different: the main figure is simply an observer of the other protagonists—animals whose traits are clearly defined, and the story orbits them. Its lesson: the most important thing is to accept yourself and others exactly as you/they are, in the most authentic form. I wanted to shape the characters into human‑like individuals and honour them as in Petra’s original text, emphasising personality with bold colours and garments. The result is a tender picture book filled with cheerful, airy, expressive and vividly coloured illustrations.
