Jess McGeachin’s stunning picture book, Fly is published in Australia today by Penguin Australia.
In May, the book was shortlisted for the most prestigious celebration of illustration globally, the World Illustration Awards, offering insight into the ideas and techniques that are at the forefront of illustration today. Artwork from the book was displayed in Somerset House throughout last month.
Fly, which was both written and illustrated by Jess, is a beautiful story of determination no matter the odds, and love in the face of loss…
Lucy has always been good at fixing things, and Dad needed a bit of help.
It was just the two of them after all.
So when Lucy finds a bird with a broken wing, she’s sure she can fix him too.
But not everything that’s broken can be fixed.
An early review of the book perfectly captured its themes: “A curious yet beguiling mix of birds, determination and healing. This gentle picture book examines grief and loss from a child’s point of view, peeling back the layers of emotional responsibility they may encounter following the loss of someone especially close to them, namely, a parent.” Goodreads reviewer
Jess is a writer/illustrator/designer based in Melbourne. He loves telling stories about hidden worlds just outside our own, and hiding clues in them for small eyes to find. Drawing on a love of natural history (and a day job at Melbourne Museum) Jess hopes that his stories inspire the reader to explore both real and imaginary places and meet the characters that live in them.
