Maya Shleifer | Israel
The protagonists of the story are mischievous clumsy wind Yo-Yo and a fox Puk. Both of them live in the Big Desert and are lonely. The first encounter between them is not pleasant. But soon they become friends and embark on a journey in search of Mother Hargaban (Humpbacked Mountain in Hebrew), a giant lizard, that looks like a mountain. Although the journey is very difficult, Yo-Yo is confident they will receive a chocolate medal at the end of it. During their journey, they encounter a variety of real and fantastic creatures. Some encounters are unpleasant, some are ludicrous, and some are warm and insightful. As soon as the journey reaches its main goal, an imposter eats the long-awaited award. However, what is the meaning of the real award?
This picture book is quite long. I think that if we want our children to continue to read books, it's important to mitigate the transition from picture books to chapter books. It was difficult for my daughter and I searched for years for a picture book with chapters for her, but I couldn't find any.
As I worked on the story, an editor Yael Gover supported me by offering valuable suggestions. The first two chapters were translated by Annette Appel. I also drew them in colour. For the rest of the story, I drew sketches.
Education:
Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Visual Communication
Graduation: 2002
Published titles: 17