Welcome to #TheQuickSixInterview with Jevita Nilson and Jess Racklyeft!
It’s with pure delight to welcome talented author Jevita Nilson, together with the superlative, multi award-winning author-illustrator, Jess Racklyeft, to share their absolutely stunning new picture book, Our World Full of Wonder. This gorgeous narrative non-fiction for ages 5+ completely sparkles with its evocative, lyrical language and mesmerising imagery of some of the most illuminating and fascinating wonders of our world. As phenomenal as its multicoloured underwater maze, the revelation of rainbow mountains, waters like fairy-floss, ancient towering trees and electrifying skies, so too are the words and pictures that bathe together just like a blossoming meadow splashed against the rolling hills. Jess’s vibrant watercolours plunge us into every beautiful and diverse landscape scene, glistening and speckling with a magical enchantment that sparks curiosity for our natural world. Complete with a glossary and factual information about each extraordinary place, Our World Full of Wonder brims with ambience and sensational marvels of our planet. A ‘WOW’ moment on every page. Just exquisite!
Thanks for sharing your divine book with us, Jevita and Jess! 🙂
About the Author
Jevita Nilson is a children’s author with a love for nature, words and all things wondrous.
Based in Perth, she writes heartfelt lyrical fiction and non-fiction picture books to inspire curious kids.
Please find Jevita Nilson at her website: www.jevitanilson.com and on Instagram.
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About the Illustrator
Jess Racklyeft is an illustrator and sometimes author of over 40 picture books. Some have won awards like Iceberg (written by Claire Saxby, CBCA Picture Book of the Year, 2022). She works in Melbourne at the Abbotsford Convent, and is inspired by the natural world around her.Â
Please find Jess Racklyeft at her website: www.jessesmess.com and on Facebook and Instagram.
Our World Full of Wonder is available for purchase from CSIRO Publishing.
We thank CSIRO Publishing for providing a complimentary copy of this book.
WHO wrote, illustrated and published this book?
Our World Full of Wonder is written by Jevita Nilson, illustrated by Jess Racklyeft and published by CSIRO Publishing.
WHAT is it about?
Our World Full of Wonder is a non-fiction picture book that combines a lyrical narrative, vibrant illustrations and fascinating facts to explore Earth’s natural wonders. From the black sand beaches of Iceland to the rainbow mountains in China and the Cave of the Crystals in Mexico, the book takes kids on a journey around our world of wonder.
What is your favourite part of this book?
JN: Jess’ illustrations are stunning and are everything I dreamed of for this book. I love the vibrancy of the illustrations and how every page makes you say ‘Wow!’
JR: Jevita has written such a clever text – one of those ones that is not just beautifully written, but full of amazing facts! That is no easy thing to do. It made my job easy!
Image credit: Jesses Mess
What media did you use to illustrate it?
JR: watercolours and digital collage.
WHEN is its release / launch date?
JN: Our World Full of Wonder will be released on 1 November 2024. I will be launching the book in Perth on Saturday 2 November at Open Book.
WHERE did the inspiration for this book come from?
JN: The book was first born from the line ‘there is a place…’
I have always been fascinated by nature and the diversity of our natural world. I had the idea to write a book about extraordinary places around the world that seem so unbelievable they could almost be otherworldly.
Places like the Great Barrier Reef and the phenomenon of the aurora borealis have always captivated me, but I wanted to include lesser-known places as well. Researching Earth’s natural wonders, I discovered so many extraordinary places that blew my mind. Like the pink lake on a small island off the coast of Western Australia that never loses its pink hue, and a location in Venezuela where lightning occurs almost every night of the year.
JR: I am full of travel lust, but haven’t been able to travel that easily the last decade (kids, covid, illness, etc). Being able to immerse in these places online and in documentaries was really inspirational and encouraged travel plans down the track!
WHY is this book meaningful to you?
JN: Our World Full of Wonder was the first non-fiction picture book I wrote, and I put a lot of time and energy into making it engaging for young readers. It’s always been one of my favourite manuscripts.
The manuscript won the CYA Competition in 2021, and I always believed it would be made into a picture book. It was picked up by CSIRO Publishing in 2023 and I am forever grateful to Melinda for believing in my manuscript.
JR: I am lucky to work with Jevita on her first book – I think she’s going to make a long career in this industry, so I feel lucky to say I got to work on her first book.
Why would its message resonate with readers?
JN: The book is all about finding wonder in our beautiful world. Kids are naturally curious, and I hope that exploring the places in Our World Full of Wonder will encourage them to learn more about our natural world and one day explore some of these amazing places.
JR: Agreed! Our world is so full of wonder, sometimes we don’t need fantasy to imagine amazing places – they are out there in our world. I hope it encourages environmental protection for these places too.
Image credit: Jesses Mess
HOW long did it take to write?
JN: I started writing the manuscript in early 2021 and it took 3-4 months to research, write and polish.
How long did it take to illustrate?
JR: around four months.
How do you feel about the text / illustrations? Do they convey the feeling or mood you envisioned?
JN: As I mentioned earlier, Jess’ illustrations are stunning and are everything I dreamed of for this book. I love the inclusion of the explorers on each page. I think this will help the reader imagine themselves in these wondrous places.
I feel the text and illustrations complement each other and I’m extremely happy with how the book has turned out.
JR: I just love the text. The moment I read it I was excited to begin working on it. Jevita has done an amazing job, and I am so happy I got to work with her and the CSIRO on it.
OTHER information or experiences you’d like to share?
JN: The process of working with CSIRO, especially my publisher Melinda, has been nothing but amazing. I am extremely grateful to Melinda for plucking Our World Full of Wonder out of the slush pile, pairing me with the extraordinary talent of Jess Racklyeft, and championing our book through every stage of the process.
I’m very excited to share that a companion book, Our World of Wild Wonders, will be releasing on 1 February 2025. Also illustrated by Jess Racklyeft, this book explores our diverse animal world, from the migration of the Monarch butterflies to the deep-sea creatures of the Mariana Trench and the devoted emperor penguins in Antarctica.
JR: Jevita has covered it perfectly! We are so happy to have now completed two books, and hope they find their way to happy inspired readers very soon.
Thank you, both, for sharing our beautiful planet in your beautiful book! 🙂
#thequicksixinterview #ourworldfullofwonder #naturalwonders #environment #exploration #picturebooks #justkidslit
