Welland illustrator excited about popularity of children’s book
Douglas Smith is delighted a children’s book about coping with isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic for which he illustrated all the artwork is as big of a hit as it has been.
The 64-year-old Welland resident partnered with St. Catharines author Christine Dernederlanden and her eight-yearold daughter, Coralea, for “Cora and the Corona: One Little Girl’s Journey in Healing in Quarantine.”
It’s a story gaining popularity across the region and Canada, as well as parts of the U.S.
The book is about a little girl scared by what she hears about the spread of the coronavirus, and grieving in her own way the fact she can’t see her friend, Allorah.
She makes some musical instruments from items in the recycling bin, and soon finds a way to communicate with neighbours while maintaining a safe distance.
The characters — Allorah, the neighbours’ dogs, and her own dog Gizzy — are all real, taken from Cora’s life.
Ten-thousand copies have been printed and some of the proceeds will benefit mentalhealth services in Niagara.
Smith created the cover art, as well as all the illustrations across the book’s pages, with assistance from co-illustrator Alex Potapczyk.
He became friends with Dernederlanden a couple of years ago over social media — around the same time the pair joined forces for her first book. It is called “Thank You” and was released in late 2019, a story about dealing with death and loss. Smith said he has never worked as a professional artist, but is known in his circle of friends and family for his drawing abilities. Portraits, comic book characters, and “people suffering, from different parts of the world” are the strongest styles in his skill set, he said in a recent interview.
Thousands of copies have been shipped around the continent.
“It just skyrocketed. I just can’t believe how much it’s taken off,” he said. Dernederlanden used her contacts at her business, Robert’s Press, to get it illustrated.
Smith said he doesn’t have children or grandchildren who are learning about isolation and the pandemic, but explained that kids in his Welland neighbourhood have received their own copies.
“They really love it,” he said, adding that his drawings have a
Japanese style, which he created by hand with pencil.
Art became an essential part of Smith’s life about 10 years ago following a car accident.