Artemis and Other Fantastical Things

“Though you might not be magic, there’s magic in play.
There are dragons for you to discover each day.
If you learn that each day has new gifts that it brings,
You’ll find life is a very fantastical thing.”

Some projects aren’t difficult in terms of execution, but they can be difficult due to the gravity of the subject matter. Such was the case when we were approached by UVA Children’s to create a book to honor and commemorate a young boy named Artemis McRae who had passed away while in their emergency department. Working closely with the hospital and the parents of Artemis, we decided to celebrate his sense of wonder and adventure by writing a story where Artemis must travel with his parents through a magical land to find “dragons and other fantastical things.” The book Artemis and Other Fantastical Things is freely given out to visitors in the pediatric emergency department, but is not available for retail elsewhere.

I was heavily involved in all aspects of the creation of this book. The illustrations are entirely drawn by me, and although the content was decided on and reviewed as a group, I was in charge of the writing and developing the rhyme and meter. Much of the content of the book is based on reality. For example, several of the environments are based on murals which we had already installed elsewhere in the hospital. The family in the book are even drawn to resemble the real-life Artemis and his family. The rest of the book is made to appear whimsical and fantastical, relying on what I would call my “base-style” to reinforce the main theme that every day of life can be filled with wonder and magic, even if that life may not last very long.