The Final Reflection: What went well:Using Canva was surprisingly effective. It’s a simple, user-friendly platform that allowed me to adjust colors, arrange elements, and quickly experiment with the look and feel of each page. Making these changes digitally helped me see how light, tone, and spacing could carry emotion and meaning without adding words. Even […]

Read more "Post #7 – Full Circle"

This week, I polished and finalized the storybook, refining illustrations, pacing, and colour to complete the final draft. During this process, I began to reflect on what the finished product means to me as a future teacher. Do I simply place it on a shelf as a completed artifact, or could it serve as a […]

Read more "Post #6 – Classroom Applications"

This week, I shared my illustrated story with my 5 year old daughter to see how a young reader might interpret it. This was a meaningful stage in my process, as I wanted to test whether the emotional and visual storytelling I developed so far would resonate with a child. As we spoke, I found […]

Read more "Post #5 – Whose Story Is It? Rethinking Authorship and Audience in Children’s Books"

As I near the end of my wordless picture book, I decided to shorten it from ten pages to eight. This change wasn’t just about simplification; it helped me focus on the story’s core message of stewardship. Each page now carries intention, leading the reader through a cycle of taking, using, giving, and renewing. Learning […]

Read more "Post #4 – The Heart of the Story: Stewardship and Respect for the Land"

At this stage of my free inquiry project, I focused on how colour can guide emotion and storytelling in my wordless picture book. Since my book has no text, the choice of colour palette is one of the main tools I have to convey mood, emotional progression, and the story’s cycle of loss and renewal. Learning Goals:I am exploring […]

Read more "Post #3 – Exploring Colour and Emotion"

For this stage of my free inquiry project, I started shaping the story arc of my wordless picture book. Because my book will not use text, the sequence of images is the main way to guide the reader’s emotions and understanding. Storyboarding allows me to break the book into pages, plan the pacing, and think about how […]

Read more "Post #2 – Storyboarding the Journey"

For my Free Inquiry Project, I am designing and illustrating a 10-page, wordless picture book that tells the story of how a tree becomes a home. The story will not use text but instead rely on illustration to guide readers through an emotional arc: admiration for the living tree, sadness at its loss, and finally renewal as it […]

Read more "Post #1 – From Tree to Home"