Katja found me through Petra’s books and loved them. For a long time she had been nurturing the desire to publish a book of her own – a very special one. She carries an extraordinarily difficult experience: she lost a child who would have been called Alja. For the family it was a severe trial; as a mother, certainly the hardest. One challenge she faced was how to address this with her older daughter, who had been so excited about her sister. How do you help a child make sense of what happened? She realised there was very little literature on the topic. That became the reason to share her story and offer it, in picture‑book form, as support to parents and children in similar situations.
When Katja first sent me the manuscript I had goosebumps the entire time. Such a heavy theme, yet she held it in such gentle, soothing words. I wrote back immediately to say how much I would love to illustrate her story and how honoured I’d be to support her purpose.
We found one another. Our collaboration was truly lovely. Katja is a very warm, sensitive person. The illustrations we created together just flowed out of me – hardly any overthinking needed – as if they had been waiting there already, meant for her book.
I approached the material by wrapping a tragic story in the most colourful, cheerful palette I could. I wanted to emphasise that we are starting from the child’s perception of the event – and that with gentle guidance we can help them keep their world bright.
An outstanding addition to Katja’s book is the accompanying text by a psychologist, offering parents guidance on how to approach the topic at different developmental stages.
Thank you, Katja, for the opportunity and your trust.
