I’m excited to share my latest collaboration with the amazing and talented Kira Willey, titled Hot Cocoa Calm. It’s the fourth in the series of Mindfulness Moments board books for little ones, and I think it’s my favorite so far. It’s also the sixth book by Kira that I’ve illustrated for Random House, and it’s always fun bringing visuals to her words.

Hot Cocoa Calm tells the story of a little fox drinking hot cocoa with her forest friends on a chilly day. As the fox takes a deep breath and blows on her hot cocoa to cool it down, she’s teaching the important skill of using breath to relax, create calm, and feel good.

I loved creating a cozy woodland world full of rich colors and lots of plants and animals, including a group of animal friends who are wrapped up and cozy in hats and scarves. I used a vibrant and saturated color palette for the whole story to create that feeling of being in the heart of the forest, surrounded by the various hues of nature in the early autumn.

As always, the text is perfectly written by Kira, creating a lovely cozy story and a calming rhythm. And the team at Random House/Rodale Kids, especially my art director Jan Gerardi, were so easy and great to work with, as they always are.