Book Dummies
Main Project : A Bridge of Hands
“A Bridge of Hands” is a lyrical introduction to the American folk tradition of Contra dancing. Characters dance across the page holding hands, spinning, twirling, and gliding. Together their dance moves make intricate shapes across the dance floor. The book is part in rhyme and is perfect for reading out loud. The book culminates in an invitation, “Now that you know the moves, would you like to dance?”. Ages 3-7.
“A Bridge of Hands” is inspired by my love of contra dance & my life long love of dance. I first started contra dancing when I moved to Philadelphia in fall 2023. It was a way to socialize in my new community, a way to exercise and an activity that brought joy and connection into my life. Contra is a rich and energetic called dance similar to square dancing and English country dancing. In the dance, pairs line up and down a hall and dance different called formations. This choreography creates large intricate shapes with the dancers.
This book grew out of my own observational drawings from contra dancing & expands on themes and imagery from an artist book I risograph printed in 2025 of the same name. The artist book is a pop up accordion book of dancers that can be arranged in different formations with a fold out of a poem and illustrations of basic contra moves.
A Bridge of Hands 2025, risograph printed accordion book with fold out and belly band.
Additional Dummies
Looking in the Night :
“Looking in the Night” follows a girl’s journey as she looks out her window, and quietly encounters many characters in the night, before returning back to her cozy bed. The book is about exploring curiosity and finding magic in your surroundings. It features cut outs and fold outs that add to the feeling of exploration. The book rhymes and is perfect for reading aloud. Ages 3-7.
This book was previously published as a limited run of 150 copies in color and 200 copies in black and white by the small press Childish Books in 2022 which is a risograph press based in RI. The original book features a die cut cover and a petal shaped fold out on page 12. In the linked dummy there are two versions of this page - one without the fold out & two pages to show the reveal of the petal fold out. The book I’m proposing would be an expanded /updated version of the original zine.
Looking in the Night 2022, risograph printed with die cut cover and petal fold out.
How to Hold on / the Longest Arms :
“How to hold on”/“the Longest Arms” is a humorous exploration of handling longing and grief. Characters find themselves in a variety of fantastical situations: riding a tandem bike to always be together, wearing outrageous outfits to easily spot one another in a crowd, growing their arms really long to reach someone on the other side of the world. Ages 5-8.