Zeno Sworder is a writer and artist who lives in Melbourne with his young family. After studying Chinese literature and migration law at university, he ended up as a dish washer. Later, he went on to work as a journalist, an English language teacher, a consular officer, an advocate for refugees and immigrants and a jewellery designer. Zeno is a lover of all stationery but has a particular soft spot for pencils.
This Small Blue Dot is his first book for children, and today Zeno is on the blog to tell us all about what inspired him to write and illustrate it. Read on!
This Small Blue Dot started as a series of quickly scribbled illustrations attempting to make sense of uncertain times for my two young daughters. The book that grew out of this follows an earnest and precocious young girl as she explores the big lessons, small wonders and other important stuff that makes being a child so special.
The book was largely inspired by two things. The first is a photograph called Pale Blue Dot taken by a NASA space probe. It is a photo showing waves of light coming from the sun and in one of those waves is a tiny blue dot, no bigger than a pixel. It is hard to look at that photo and not be struck by the vulnerability of this planet and just how rare and precious life is. And so that small blue dot became the symbol at the center of the book.
The other inspiration was my Chinese grandmother, who was a painter and my English father who was a lecturer in Greek philosophy. It saddened me that my daughters would not grow up with their gentle, thoughtful voices. There is a saying that you sail through life on a carpet woven from the love and wisdom of your ancestors. I benefited from such a carpet and I made this book hoping that my daughters will as well.
This Small Blue Dot is hand drawn with pencils and crayons (many, many crayons). It was such a joy to make that it took me almost two years to finish it.
Here’s a short video below that provides a quick peek at a few of my favourite pages from the book!
This Small Blue Dot by Zeno Sworder (Thames & Hudson Australia) is out now.
This Small Blue Dot
A young girl introduces the newest member of her family to the small wonders, big lessons and other important stuff that make being a child so special.
With a strong message of interconnectedness, hope and empowerment, This Small Blue Dot follows a little girl exploring the big and small things in life. From contemplating our place on this ‘blue dot’ to the best Italian, Chinese and Indian desserts, the book provides a broader, more inclusive view of who we are, where we come from and where our dreams may take us...
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