Aphelandra believes children’s books are for adults, too.
“And not just in the sense that adults can connect with their kids while reading them a picture book,” she said. “The only kid you need to appreciate the spare writing, sophisticated art and compelling themes of a really good picture book is your own inner child.”
A descendant of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, the illustrator has four published books that focus on inspiring Indigenous women or Indigenous themes. Her latest, “Here Come the Aunties!” was released by HarperCollins this week.
“Years ago, I read a statistic that less than 1% of picture books feature American Indian/First Nations characters. Bringing more diverse representation to children’s books was one of the reasons I wanted to get into this industry in the first place. So the fact that I get to work on these kinds of books is incredibly meaningful to me,” Aphelandra said.
Raised in Roscoe, Illinois, and now residing in Oshkosh, Aphelandra credits her own mother for instilling her passion for art.
“My mom had a crafting business when I was growing up, and I always loved watching her work with wood and twine, paint and ribbons,” she said. “This marked the beginning of what has always been more of an informal art education for me.”
An English major in college, Aphelandra is largely a self-taught artist who learned through persistence and observation.
“I’d say my most valuable learning experience came through the four years I worked as a book designer at a publishing company. I worked very closely with so many amazing illustrators and learned so much just from observing their work. Unbeknownst to them, they were my greatest teachers,” she said.
The theme of learning by watching people one admires is evident in “Here Come the Aunties!” Written by Muscogee Nation citizen Cynthia Leitich Smith, the picture book tells the story of a second grader named River. Highlighting moments throughout the academic year, readers meet all of the aunties who teach, love and support River and his growing family.
For Aphelandra, this book celebrates aunties for all the many different ways they show up in a child’s life.
“I wanted to make sure each auntie was distinct in both personality and design, and I put a lot of thought into creating aunties of all shapes, sizes, ages and skin tones, and coming up with their outfits, body language and environments to make them feel like real people,” she said. “My hope is that readers will be able to see themselves or their own beloved aunties in these characters.”
After creating the art for her first three books in Photoshop, Aphelandra changed her entire process and used gouache and ink for this latest publication.
“It was very piecemeal because I was painting some shapes in gouache, some in ink, doing all the linework in ink, scanning everything in, cutting everything apart, layering the pieces together and doing touch-ups digitally,” Aphelandra said. “This process was scattered, unfamiliar, messy and slow, but it was also the most artistically fulfilling experience I’ve ever had. Every splatter of ink that got on my hands was a little mark of pride, like it was proof I was making something real and worthwhile.”
There are many diverse women depicted in the text, which illuminates the impact of both a multitude of female role models in Indigenous communities and the children’s books who foreground them. Aphelandra dedicated her work on the book to her “own wonderful auntie,” whose influence is evident in the pages.
“My own aunt, Marcia, was one of my inspirations while illustrating this book. She’s such a kind and generous person, and I tried to infuse that kind of spirit into all the aunties I drew,” she said.
When I asked Aphelandra if she had any advice for other creative people, she said, “Learn to appreciate imperfections. Imperfections in a creative work show humanity and vulnerability and personality, and they’re just more interesting to look at.”
Aphelandra’s art reflects life, depicting interesting people that will resonate with nieces and nephews of all ages.
Ryan Winn, Ph.D., teaches communications, English, history and theater at the College of Menominee Nation. Visit www.menominee.edu for more information about the school.
