Kickstarter

Following the Moth is a picture book crafted in hopes that the city and suburban kids who read it will be inspired to connect with the wild in a loving and respectful way. The story teaches us that the earth is wild, the wilderness doesn't end where the city begins, and in this way our lives are all connected. This is our way, as contemporary artists, of passing down the wisdom of the wild earth to future generations who may not have the opportunity, in all the noise & chaos of their urban environments, to go outside & find it for themselves.

We wrote & illustrated the book in 1st person, in the form of a journal entry by a race/gender-ambiguous city kid so that a wide audience of kids would relate. The narration is written into multiple reading levels to encourage reader growth and extend the books re-readability: big type with simple language summarizes the plot poetically (4-5), while medium sized type colors it in with experiential details and educational games (6-8), and small type & informative illustrations in the sidebar provide useful wilderness facts. The story takes place in our beloved San Francisco Bay Area, features wild plants and animals who live, or once lived, in the Point Reyes/Mt. Tamalpais bioregion, and teaches the "leave nothing but footprints" philosophy.

The story is going through final editing now, and the illustrated spreads are nearly complete. Our progress will be on display at the Merchants of Reality gallery in San Francsico on June 8th from 5pm - 8pm and for the remainder of the month by appointment only. All we have left to create is the perfect cover, some hand lettering, and a few magical finishing touches, which we will post with our progess here, on our kickstarter.

With your help, we will make this magical, wild story available to thousands of Bay Area kids through their neighborhood libraries. Your contributions will provide for our printing costs, ISBN numbers, shipping, and eBook publishing. These handsome, limited edition (hopefully 12"x12") hardcover books will be printed in the U.S. if not here in the bay, on recycled paper. Thanks to you, our Libraries won't pay a dime, and the kids will read for free!

We love you, no matter what.

bem & Larissa