J.A.White's "The Thickety - A Path begins" out today!

book jacket of "The Thickety - A Path begins"

I was very excited to be asked to illustrate the first book of J.A.White's series "The Thickety" last year, using all silhouettes! The collaboration with designer Amy Ryan at Harper Collins was wonderful and I am absolutely thrilled by the way my illustrations were incorporated into the book design. I will post more about the process later, but first, here is a short introduction into this fantastic book:

When Kara Westfall was six years old, her mother was convicted of the worst of all crimes: witchcraft.  Years later, Kara and her little brother Taff are still shunned by the people of their village, who believe that nothing is more evil than magic…except, perhaps, the mysterious forest that covers nearly the entire island.  It has many names, this place.  Sometimes it is called the Dark Wood, or Sordyr’s Realm. But mostly it’s called the Thickety.

The villagers live in fear of the Thickety and the terrible creatures that live there.  But when an unusual bird lures Kara into the forbidden forest, she discovers a strange book with unspeakable powers.  A book that might have belonged to her mother.

And that is just the beginning of the story.

There is also a great book trailer.

"The Thickety - A Path begins" has already received a Kirkus starred review and a great review from Publisher's Weekly. Congratulations to J.A.White!