My work with author Julie Iribarren on Levi Journey: An Unlikely Therapy Dog was a close creative collaboration focused on telling an emotionally resonant story for young readers: the moving true story of Levi, a rescue Golden Retriever who became a therapy dog. Although Julie is based in Florida and I’m in the UK, we were able to work closely to shape both the narrative and its visual storytelling. From the earliest stages, I considered how illustrations could carry emotion and clarify meaning and support key story beats. Together, we made the decision to tell the story in Levi’s own voice, a shift that brought warmth, humour, and accessibility to the text and helped guide the tone and expression of the artwork.

I approached the illustrations with a strong awareness of picture-book structure, developing character designs, page sketches, and full layouts that balanced text, image, and pacing. Working directly with the publisher, I helped refine layout, typography, and image placement to ensure clarity and consistency for young readers. This project demonstrates my ability to work collaboratively with authors and publishers while keeping the needs of children firmly at the heart of the book, using illustration to support storytelling, emotional engagement, and readability.