Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Jess Horn and Zoe Bennett!
It’s such a pleasure to have wonderful debut picture book author, Jess Horn, together with the supremely talented illustrator, Zoe Bennett, here to share in the celebration of their new title, Bernie Thinks in Boxes. This beautiful story delves into the mind of Bernie, revealing the insights of how she categorises her world. With careful and sensitive wording and soft illustrations that appropriately reflect emotion, movement and energy through thoughtful colour and textural choices, we are gifted with the understanding of Bernie, her ways of making her ‘boxes’ make sense and managing change when they don’t neatly stack up. The metaphorical inferences are superbly powerful to highlight this navigation of a neurodiverse child in a neurotypical world. A must-have heartwarming story for children in all categories.
Congratulations, Jess and Zoe, and thanks for sharing your gorgeous book with us! 🙂
About the Author
Jess Horn is a Sydney-based children’s author, passionate about empowering kids and sparking imagination. Her stories
are full of humour and heart, often exploring the world from a neurodivergent perspective.
With a background in speech pathology and disability services, she now pursues her love of words by weaving stories with a subtle message of inclusivity, encouraging readers to think outside the box.
Please find Jess Horn at her website: www.jesshornauthor.com/ and on Instagram | Facebook
About the Illustrator
Zoe Bennett is an illustrator based in Sydney, Australia. Her work aims to capture the playfulness, curiosity and candidness of childhood, family and ordinary moments. She especially loves to capture quintessentially Australian scenes, colour palettes and characters. With a background in biological sciences, Zoe enjoys the unique experience of having a biologist brain and following her creative aspirations.
Please find Zoe Bennett at her website: Zoe Bennett. and on Instagram
Bernie Thinks in Boxes can be purchased through Affirm Press.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
Bernie Thinks in Boxes was written by me (Jess Horn), illustrated by the very talented Zoe Bennett, and published by the wonderful team at Affirm Press.
WHAT is it about?
JH: Bernie Thinks in Boxes is about a girl who categorises her world into boxes. Bernie has boxes for everything: for home, for school and even for the park. When things fit into boxes, they make sense.
But at her friend’s birthday party, Bernie’s boxes collide, and nothing is as it should be. There are school kids at the park and even out of uniform! It seems Bernie must choose between meeting her own needs and being a good friend.
Or perhaps there’s a way she can do both?
ZB: Bernie Thinks In Boxes is about an Autistic 6-year-old girl who has a special way of viewing her world. Every aspect of her life is categorised into boxes. She has a box for home, for Mum, for school, the park, breakfast, lunch, dinner …
When things fit into their boxes, they make sense to Bernie. Her teacher belongs at school. Eggs belong at breakfast.
But the world is unpredictable and sometimes Bernie’s boxes collide.
Bernie Thinks In Boxes is a beautiful story about thinking differently and navigating change in a neurotypical world.
Illustration: Zoe Bennett
What is your favourite part of this book?
JH: My favourite part is the solution Bernie finds to her problem. I love her courage and creativity in finding a way to be a good friend that suits her needs, too.
I also adore Zoe’s stunning illustrations, which gift a new discovery with every reading.
ZB: As the illustrator, my favourite part of this book is probably Bernie herself! She is such a special character. She’s clever, creative and sensitive. She has a big heart and a vivid inner world. She has so many of the qualities I love most in book characters.
From the beginning, I had a distinct idea of how Bernie would look and behave in the illustrations. I like to say she drew herself- she already existed so clearly to me!
Bernie has a very special place in my heart. She’s my favourite character I’ve illustrated to date and I’ve absolutely loved bringing her to life.
What media did you use to illustrate it?
ZB: The pictures for Bernie were created digitally using Procreate on iPad. Brushes were specifically chosen to mimic wax pastel, pencil and gouache paint.
WHEN did you begin writing this book?
JH: I began writing it in December of 2020, but it took me until early 2022 to have a completed story I was happy with!
When is its release / launch date?
Bernie Thinks in Boxes was released on 30 July 2024.
ZB: The official launch will be held at Gleebooks in Glebe, Sydney on August 10th and everyone is welcome! Sadly, I can’t be there as I’ll be travelling but Jess will be there to do a reading and sign your copies of the book.
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
JH: ‘Bernie thinks in boxes. Not like this… Like this!’
These words drifted into my mind one evening as I contemplated my categorical thinking style. I found humour in the literal interpretation of thinking in boxes, and I knew I had to turn it into a story.
ZB: It’s always such a magical feeling when I can envision a character and their world so clearly from day one. This was definitely the case with Bernie.
The characters I illustrate always have backstories and inner-lives, even if they only ever exist in my mind. In my head, Bernie lives in inner-city Sydney with her cat and solo mum. The setting, fashion and imagery is strongly influenced by this.
Depicting the boxes in Bernie’s mind was probably the most challenging part of the process for me. How was I to depict the inner workings of a character’s mind in a way that felt true to her story while also ensuring readers could make sense of it?
After much experimentation and research, I eventually landed on using a combination of motifs, symbolism and colour-coding to portray both Bernie’s internal and external worlds, sometimes on the same page, and communicate the dissonance she experiences when these worlds don’t align.
An artist I referred to quite a bit in the early stages was Rebecca Green. My work looks quite a bit different to hers but the colour palettes, techniques and whimsy of her painting guided the development of Bernie Thinks In Boxes.
Illustration: Zoe Bennett
WHY is this book meaningful to you?
JH: It’s meaningful because it’s based on how my brain works and I’m excited to share that perspective with the world. The writing process for Bernie Thinks in Boxes coincided with a time of self-discovery, as I received my autism diagnosis between drafts. It wasn’t until I began to unpack that a little, that I understood I’d been placing unrealistic expectations on Bernie to conform to social expectations. Once I started rewriting my story, I could finally move Bernie’s in the right direction.
ZB: I am not Autistic myself, but as a visual thinker and pretty anxious human, I do resonate very strongly with Bernie’s vivid inner world, her different way of thinking and the struggles she faces trying to reconcile her internal and external situations. She’s the first character I’ve illustrated with whom I’ve felt so personally connected.
The process of illustrating this book happened to parallel with a period of particularly steep growth in my personal life during which I was facing daily challenges and being forced to think outside the boxes in my own mind. In some ways, I feel Bernie has been a special part of my own healing.
Why would its message resonate with readers?
JH: Bernie Thinks in Boxes will resonate with kids who see themselves reflected in Bernie; those who think differently or find the world overwhelming. But more broadly, this story will resonate with any reader who lives in a diverse world. And let’s face it – that’s all of us!
ZB: I think all readers, little and big, neurotypical and neurodivergent, will be able to relate to Bernie’s story in some way. We all feel different sometimes and we all occupy our own internal worlds. Bernie finds a way to navigate her challenges and show her love in a way that feels comfortable to her.
In terms of the illustrations, I had so much fun incorporating as much detail and symbolism as possible. From a purely visual perspective, my hope is that readers will enjoy looking at the illustrations as much as I loved creating them and notice something new each time they open the book.
HOW long did it take to illustrate?
ZB: I started conceptualising the imagery for Bernie from the moment I received the manuscript in February 2023. However, sketching and storyboarding didn’t begin until around August. From then until final completion, was about seven months!
How do you feel about the illustrations / cover design? How do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?
JH: Zoe has done a brilliant job of bringing Bernie to life and capturing her thoughts visually. The emotion conveyed in the illustrations is just as I’d imagined. And the extra details Zoe brought to this story, such as giving Bernie a pet cat, were just perfect!
ZB: I’m very pleased with how the illustrations turned out, I must admit! As a chronic perfectionist, I don’t think there’ll ever be a project I can’t find imperfections in, but on the whole I am pretty chuffed with the final art for Bernie.
The story has a feeling of sensitivity, softness and creativity. It was important to me that the visuals not only reflected this, but also added layers, world-building and personality to the written word. I felt inspired to create visuals that were unique, whimsical and imaginative while ensuring coherence and aesthetic consistency. I think I managed to tick all these boxes!
Illustration: Zoe Bennett
How have you promoted this book and how can we find it?
JH: I’ve been sharing my author journey on Instagram for years. That’s where you’ll find all the inside information on Bernie!
Some podcast interviews will also be dropping soon, including Reading with a Chance of Tacos, Differently Brained Podcast, and All the Ways I’ve Failed.
I’ll be doing some bookshop signings around Sydney’s Inner West and holding a Book Launch at Gleebooks in Glebe at 10:30 on 10th August. If you’d like to come, please RSVP to Rachel@gleebooks.com.au.
You can find Bernie Thinks in Boxes in bookstores and online. You can check for local bookshops at Your Bookstore. Affirm Press also has a list of booksellers here.
We absolutely adore Bernie! Congratulations on a gorgeous book, Jess and Zoe! 🙂
Thanks to Affirm Press for a complimentary copy of Bernie Thinks in Boxes.
#thequicksixinterview #berniethinksinboxes #neurodiversity #picturebooks #justkidslit
