MANTRA LINGUA

WALKING IN MY CITY, WHAT DO YOU SEE?

Marcella was commissioned by award winning publishers Mantra Lingua to create a full spread picture book aimed at 3-5 year olds. The brief was to hand drawn artwork that reflects the everyday realities of many children living in metropolitan cities. It welcomes the observer to walk around their home city, exploring the variety and multicultural aspects that are so much part of today's cities. The illustrations invite close observation and inspection, reinforcing images familiar or forgotten.  

All of the illustrations created for the book are hand drawn by Marcella using Pro-Markers and fine liner pens on Bristol board. Each tiny detail is defined, and the book features the illustrator’s signature style of saturated, vibrant colour.

Published in late 2023 the book is available in 29 languages and can be purchased here.

‘I think most illustrators will say that creating a picture book is high up on their ‘wish list’ when it comes to commissions. So, it was a real career highlight for me when Mantra Lingua invited me to make this book with them. I absolutely adore drawing tiny details, the kind of thing you might skim over once and discover with fresh eyes the next time you see the illustration. It was such a fun project and I really hope it captures the imaginations of the children who read it. If you look closely, you might even spot my beloved pet dog Munchie making her debut appearance!’ Marcella Wylie

About Mantra Lingua

Mantra Lingua creates books to suit the needs of new and changing diasporas seen in multi-lingual classrooms in USA, UK, EU, Australia. They cover a wide range of genres and ages. Since everyone has different learning styles, Mantra Lingua takes a multi-modal view in publishing a single story. With extensive teachers’ notes, wordless Story Cards for retelling, e-books for whiteboards and laptops, the publisher prides itself at producing a treasure trove of support material for teachers, parents and librarians.