This was a practice project I undertook with the text of a friend of mine, Nate Parde, who I worked with at the University of San Diego when I was part of their faculty in the Department of Theatre. He wrote the rhyming tale for his two daughters.

With his permission, I took the first iteration of the text and illustrated it into a book dummy. But eventually I ended up finishing the story and completely illustrating all the pages.

Conceptually, I felt strongly about the presentational message of the story and how it could lend itself to a theatrical setting in illustrative form. I decided to place the entire story on a stage, which also nodded to the artistic field both Nate (as a lighthing designer) and myself (as a costume designer) both worked in. The story progresses from a light almost bare stage, progressing in double-page spreads through to the end where the stage is ultimately darkly theatrical with spotlights and a kooky cast of characters. I tried to make specific elements in the story hearken back to the rhyming scheme Nate established in the book by including animals that rhymed with "oo". Lulu was always a ewe, but the other animals also have the same alliteration: a caribou, emus, shrews, kinkajoos, gnus, and cockatoos. I also tried using the "oo" in some props: snowshoes and maribou.

Ultimately it was a good personal project, and we had no intent toward publishing. It was a practice experience for me, and I was happy to reach a sort of completion by illustrating the entire book.