Grow Big, Little Seed - Picture Book Illustration

🏅 CBCA 2025 Winner: New Illustrator Award
🏅 CBCA 2025 Notable: Picture Book of the Year

"Grow Big, Little Seed is a tender, hopeful story about pregnancy loss and the joy of rainbow babies. The narrative blends effortlessly with highly original papercut illustrations, successful taking the reader on the complex emotional journey with Nina and her family. The family’s loss is explored gently in the background while Nina grapples with her garden, creating a duality that will make the story an effective resource for families with young children. The story is gently but effectively coded to represent a realistic experience of pregnancy loss and having a rainbow baby – such as removing the ultrasound photos from the fridge, and the simple amount of time that might pass. Cleverly woven together, textual and visual elements hint at the joyful final pages in this beautiful story, perfect for readers through from pre-school to primary." - Children's Book Council of Australia

Publisher: Hardie Grant under Bright Light
Written by: Bec Nanayakkara
Illustrated by: Sarah Capon
Materials: Layered paper, gouache, coloured pencil

When I was asked to illustrate the Grow Big, Little Seed manuscript by Bec Nanayakkara I knew it was something special. A story about rainbow babies written so tenderly 💗. This book follows a little girl growing a plant, and is a child appropriate way of explaining disappointment, hope, and trying again, to someone young.

Along with illustrating the book I also created an animated version which you can find on youtube, and set up a window display at Where the Wild Things Are, Brisbane.

Reviews:

"Such a beautiful book with amazing illustrations unlike any other I have seen. I read this book to my niece and she keeps asking to read it again and again, and even named her baby doll after the main character!" ★★★★★

"A beautiful story about trying again, amazing handmade paper art makes this book truly special!" ★★★★★

"A beautifully written story with equally beautiful illustrations to go with it." ★★★★★