Nicki Young and her children's books.
A new children’s book written and illustrated by Raumati Beach artist and writer Nicki Young has been published.
It is called Curious Chick Finds a Friend and is the second book of Curious Chick’s adventures.
Curious Chick is a young pukeko and the stories take place in the New Zealand landscape.
The new book features a variety of native birds and forest trees.
Young said the idea of Curious Chick was born towards the end of the Covid restrictions.
“I wanted to create a character that could foster a fresh appreciation of the beauty of nature and the small miracles that are all around us such as cobwebs, dew drops and bird song.”
Young loves the New Zealand bush and has done a lot of tramping in her life.
“I find the beauty of the colours, and the contrasts of dark and light that you find in the bush, are magical.
“Combine that with the bird song and the unique smells of the forest and you get a place that is nourishing and healing.”
The theme of her book was friendship.
“Curious Chick’s mother tells him “friends often have something in common” and so Curious Chick thinks that he will find a friend by discovering what he has in common with each creature he meets on his forest adventure.
“He eventually realises that he has overlooked the best friend he could ever have, who was with him right from the beginning.”
Her illustrations, which were one of the most enjoyable aspects of the book process, are created by using her unique collage technique.
“I print my own paper with mono-print techniques and then cut the shapes to collage with.”
The least favourite part of the process was a lot of time spent on the computer.
“This is where I would have come unstuck many times if it wasn’t for my lovely husband Nick.
“I also really enjoyed writing a song to go with each of the Curious Chick stories.
“The music and lyrics are at the back of each book with a simple piano accompaniment.”
Young has also written Ready, Steady, Go! which is aimed at children, too.
Asked how she balanced writing and illustrating, Young said her characters were developed first.
“Curious Chick first appeared on a series of my greeting cards and the two little adventurers featured in Ready, Steady, Go! came together when I was just playing with some collage pieces.
“I have always loved writing, and with the arrival of Felix, our little grandson, I suddenly felt inspired to create some children’s books that were New Zealand in flavour with imaginative elements and engaging illustrations.”
Young will, for the third year running, be opening her Rata Rd studio to the public for the Kāpiti Coast Art Trail and will have her books available for purchase.
They are also for sale at her stall at the Paraparaumu Beach Saturday Market, in the Bookshelf in Waikanae, Big Mac’s Creative Centre, the Riverstone Café in Ōtaki and on her website www.whitefeatherstudio.ar
There are 44 works (24 by Frances Hodgkins) in the collection.