"Lee Ann wrote such an incredibly touching and inspiring story I still get chills every time I read it... and I've lost count of how many times I've read it!"
— Rebecca Burdock, Illustrator
Story Development
By Lee Ann Lander, Author
The story of Sunny began many years ago - inspired by a meadow of thousands of fireflies. Through the years, it developed, went through several editing processes and deepened until it finally became the story we know and love today. I knew I wanted more than just a fun, feel good story. I wanted to write something thought provoking that hit on important defining moments in youth development and I didn't want to to come across as preachy or instructive. The result is a book with scalability and depth that surprises even me sometimes.
The Dilemma
With a finished story, then came the task of illustrating it...
Being an artist myself, I always thought I would illustrate it, but I kept procrastinating because I am not skilled in character drawing. I came across Rebecca and her work at a local art festival and instantly fell in love with her drawing style. We became art colleagues and when I finally came to the conclusion that I was never going to actually illustrate the book. Rebecca was the first person that came to my mind.
Character Development
By Rebecca Burdock, Illustrator
Initial Sketches
What Is Important?
Deciding the direction to take Sunny the Firefly was important. What does he look like? What mannerisms does he have? Is he realistic? Is he playful? The list of questions went on and on. This was one of the first preliminary sketches I created. Although it was fun - it wasn't quite right.
Narrowing It Down
Getting Closer
After talking with Lee Ann and narrowing down some of the initial sketches we decided to go in this direction. I struggled with being true to the actual anatomy of a real firefly. Would that be important or not? This sketch included the red hood that covers their heads.
Anthropomorphism
This is it!
At this point I was taking liberties with the anatomy and allowing Sunny to be a little human. He became more relatable and more lovable. Believe it or not - this has a name... Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to
non-human entities. From here Sunny became Sunny!
"Rebecca not only brings the book to life with her beautifully expressive illustrations, but has brought a renewed light and energy into the project. Rebecca also painstakingly formatted the text, pages, and created the front and back covers among so much more." — Lee Ann Lander, Author
About the Author Lee Ann Lander
Hi! I'm Lee Ann Lander and Sunny the Firefly is my first published children's book! I am a Columbus, Ohio based mom, artist, songwriter, teacher, public speaker and now author. Some of my favorite things are spending time with my family and friends, snuggling with my beloved Jack Russell, nature hikes and learning new things. To address some frequently asked questions from the K-5 kiddos — my favorite food is legumes, my favorite color is all the colors, and I am a tad over half a century old!
About the Illustrator Rebecca Burdock
Hi! I'm Rebecca Burdock and Sunny the Firefly is my first children's book too! I am also a Columbus, Ohio based mom, an artist, graphic designer, curator, teacher and now children's book illustrator! I love spending time with my family and friends and pursuing artistic endeavors with my small business, Rebecca Ink. Some of my favorite hobbies include doing yoga and going for a walk. To answer some frequently asked questions from the K-5 kiddos — my favorite food is potatoes of any kind, I'm a tad over a half a century old and my favorite color is light blue.
