Tag Archives: lantana publishing

you’re snug with me cover and artwork reveal!

07.17.2018

I’m delighted to share the cover of You’re Snug With Me (out in October) by Chitra Soundar and Poonam Mistry today here on This Picture Book Life!

I recently posted on You’re Safe With Me, the first book from this duo and am so excited there’s a counterpart coming out from Lantana Publishing.

The first book was about forest animals who were afraid of the sights and sounds of the forest at night. Mama Elephant reassured them that the natural world was there to do its job and even nourish them. It was a lullaby of comfort.

In the follow-up, You’re Snug With Me, two bear cubs are born in the frozen north, in the den their mother has made them. They ask questions about the unknown outside their cozy home and their mother explains the seasons and the world, preparing them for what lies beyond and nurturing the need to take good care of it.

From the first book to the second, we go from summer to winter. Warmth to cold. Community to family. Forest to frozen north. Rich green to icy blue. While the setting has shifted and the cast of characters has gotten smaller, the comforting lullaby quality of security and snugness remains. These are perfect companion books, both grounded in nature and love and safety.

And… here’s the cover of You’re Snug With Me! In person, it glistens and sparkles like sun on snow!

And we’ve got a sneak peek of some beautiful interior spreads as well. Poonam Mistry uses the same exquisite style as the previous book, but this one with cool tones—butter yellow, lavender, crisp white, and ice-blue. And while the first book featured the dance of animals and natural elements on the page, this one zooms in on the relationship between mother and cubs, the sphere of family that feels to the very young like the whole world.

“The second story started with the idea of a hibernating polar bear and when I did the research to find out more, I fell in love with the scene of the cubs discovering their landscape for the first time. The challenge was to find elements that a polar bear cub should be introduced to and I had to go beyond the obvious – what’s underneath the ocean, what’s up in the sky. Also I couldn’t write about polar bears without worrying about the melting ice and somehow incorporating the role of every big predator in protecting it.”

—Chitra Soundar

“It was exciting working on You’re Snug With Me because it was outside of my usual comfort zone. I researched knitwear patterns and Inuit textiles and clothing and incorporated some of these patterns into my drawings so that it was different to the first book but there was still some continuity in the style of the artwork.

I don’t often work in pastel colours but it was important to reflect the wintry setting of the story and use these colours to highlight the beautiful landscapes of the Arctic.”

—Poonam Mistry

Breathtaking artwork and a beautiful story with a gentle environmental theme, this is a book to take in, to ponder, to read while snug with loved ones.

Look for it in October!

Chitra Soundar is an Indian-born British writer and storyteller. She is inspired by the rich epics and folktales of India, its diverse culture and its natural beauty. She has over 30 books in print worldwide and has been published by Otter-Barry Books, Walker Books and Red Robin Books.

Poonam Mistry is a UK-based illustrator of Indian heritage. Her work is heavily influenced by nature, folklore and traditional Indian art. With a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, she produces artwork for clients around the world.

Big thanks to Lantana for images (and a review copy)!

You might want to check out the amazing paper star craft Poonam Mistry shared for the first installment in this series, You’re Safe With Me! There’s a template so you can make one too!

you’re safe with me + paper star craft

Picture Book Crafts

05.08.2018

You’re Safe With Me by Chitra Soundar & Poonam Mistry (2018).

This picture book is the story of baby animals in the forest, afraid of the startling sights and sounds of the night, wind, and rain. And it’s the story of Mama Elephant who comforts them, telling them the ways the elements that appear scary are actually necessary—natural parts of the world that deliver good, wondrous things too.

“You’re safe with me,” Mama Elephant says again and again, as comforting as any lullaby. That refrain, and all her stories of the world around them, put the animals peacefully right to sleep.

(click image(s) to enlarge)

This story is blanketed by the most beautiful illustrations by Poonam Mistry. The dance of dark and light, the glow of gold—this exquisite art dives into each element being explored by Mama Elephant. From her website, Mistry says the following about her work:

“My style incorporates my love of nature and explores the relationships between pattern, shapes and colour creating beautifully intricate illustrations.

Being brought up surrounded by Indian fabrics, paintings and ornaments have heavily influenced my work.”

—Poonam Mistry

“You’re Safe With Me was inspired by the rich oral storytelling tradition I grew up [in]. My grandmother and her sister told me stories from Hindu epics and my mother made up stories whenever I asked for a new one.

I visualised Mama Elephant as a storyteller who tells a little story for each of the elements of the thunderstorm to help the little animals deal with their fear, and at the same time reassures them that she’s there to look after [them] no matter what.

And that to me is the role of a storyteller too – they guide us through dangerous imagined worlds, all the while holding our hands.”

—Chitra Soundar

You’re Safe With Me is a book for soothing a little one to sleep, a book for embracing the natural world in new ways, a book for cherishing our loved ones who make us feel safe in any storm.

Big thanks to Lantana Publishing for the review copy and images, and to Poonam and Chitra!

The illustrator herself, Poonam Mistry, has designed a corresponding craft for You’re Safe With Me!

Mirroring her intricate artwork in the book, she’s here to show us how to make our very own paper stars! And she’s got printable templates too.

Over to Poonam!

What you’ll need:

The printed templates [find links to both here and here]:

Coloured card or paper

Glue

Scissors

A pencil

Gel pens, felt tips or pencil colours

Optional – foil and a permanent marker to draw on the foil

String to hang it

Print and cut out the templates using the scissors. (Templates found here and here.) Trace around these on the coloured card or paper using a pencil. It is best to use 2/3 colours.

Cut around these and stick together in order using glue (3 should be on top with 1 at the bottom).

Add triangles or circles on the points of the star using pencil colours, felt tips of pencil colours. I used a gold gel pen in this example.

Cut out smaller shapes in coloured card/paper and glue these to add more patterns. Triangles work best. You could add foil shapes if you wanted to make your star sparkle.

Add the last patterns and details on top drawing geometric shapes and spirals.

Finally, Put a hole through one point of the star. Thread the string through it and tie a knot at the ends to hang it.