Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Jade Goodwin!
Magical adventures through a Story Realm – this sounds like our kind of book! And even better, it’s a whole series with three imaginative tales ready for delving straight into. The fantastical Yarn Quest is written by debut author, Brooke Scobie, and has been brought to wondrous life by the uber-talented illustrator, Jade Goodwin. These spellbinding tales together with Jade’s whimsical multi-layered digital illustrations throughout brilliantly capture the essence of wonderment, surprise and enchantment that will certainly keep readers captivated at every turn.
Thank you, Jade, for sharing your journey in developing these amazing books! 🙂
About the Illustrator
Jade Goodwin is a First Nations illustrator with curly brown hair and a big imagination. When she was a little girl, she loved spending time in her grandparents’ screen-printing studio, creating all sorts of fun things with the endless amount of paper, pencils and sticky tape.
Jade loves bringing imagination to life through her bright and sweet illustrations and is the illustrator of the Little Ash, Yarn Quest and Tennis Camp Diaries series, Ash Barty’s picture book My Dream For You, and a picture book written by Charlotte Barkla, Let’s Try Again Another Day with plenty more books currently in progress.
Jade loves finding magic in everyday moments, dreaming up new worlds and drawing way past her bedtime alongside her three furry assistants – a.k.a her cats.
Please find Jade Goodwin at her website: Illustration — Jade Goodwin and on Instagram | Facebook | TikTok
The Yarn Quest series can be found at Jade Goodwin’s website and purchased through Penguin. Free activities are also available to download.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
The Yarn Quest series is written by Brooke Scobie (her debut!) and illustrated by me. The books are published by Penguin.
WHAT is it about?
Yarn Quest is all about the magical adventures of P, Tane, and Sibyl as they journey through the Story Realm. They encounter magic, solve tricky puzzles, and learn heartwarming lessons about friendship, bravery, and the power of imagination.
What is your favourite part of this book?
My absolute favourite part of the book has to be the dream scene in Book 1. It’s whimsical and full of fantastical elements that allowed me to get really creative. In Book 2, I loved drawing P and the kingfisher – it’s such a cool concept that I wish existed in real life. And in Book 3, illustrating Sibyl and the ‘portals’ was so much fun – it’s like drawing pure magic!
What media did you use to illustrate it?
All of the illustrations for Yarn Quest were created digitally on my trusty iPad Pro using the Procreate app. It’s an amazing tool that lets me bring these magical worlds to life, while still feeling like I’m drawing by hand.
WHEN is its release / launch date?
Yarn Quest books 1, 2 and 3 all release on July 30th, 2024. There is a book launch taking place at Gleebooks, Glebe on August 3rd, 3.30pm. I’m incredibly excited to share these adventures with everyone!
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
The inspiration for Yarn Quest came from a simple idea I had for a podcast episode to celebrate National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. Brooke took that idea and ran with it, creating an entire podcast series with the help of Awesome Black. It’s amazing to see how that initial idea has blossomed into a full book series that celebrates imagination and adventure.
WHY is this book meaningful to you?
Yarn Quest is incredibly meaningful to me because it’s not just a story – it’s a celebration of imagination and adventure featuring real-life family members. It’s a way to honour their unique personalities and our shared experiences while creating something magical for kids everywhere to enjoy. Plus, seeing the characters come to life in the illustrations is like capturing a little bit of our own magic.
Why would its message resonate with readers?
The message of Yarn Quest will resonate with readers because it shows that adventures can happen anywhere, and anyone can be a hero in their own story. It’s all about the power of imagination, the importance of friendship, and having fun. Plus, it’s packed with exciting adventures that will keep kids hooked from start to finish.
HOW long did it take to illustrate?
Illustrating the Yarn Quest series was a labour of love that spanned several months. One of the book covers took me just over 23 hours – which is a lot! The entire process involved a lot of collaboration with Brooke, making sure every illustration perfectly matched the adventurous spirit and nature of the story.
How do you feel about the text / illustrations? Do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?
I absolutely love how the text and illustrations turned out! Brooke’s words are so vivid and full of life, and it was a joy to bring them to life through my drawings. The characters, especially P, Tane, and Sibyl, really leap off the page with their unique personalities and adventurous spirits. The illustrations capture the magical, fun, and heartfelt mood we envisioned, making the world of Yarn Quest an inviting place for kids to explore.
OTHER information or experiences you’d like to share?
Here’s a fun tidbit: many characters in Yarn Quest are inspired by real-life people. P and Tane are my niblings. Aunty Tully, their Mum, is my sister-in-law, and Brooke, the author, is Sibyl’s Mum in real life and in the book. It’s been such a joy to capture their essence in these stories.
Thanks so much, Jade! Thanks for sharing your magical series! 🙂
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