Author: Ronit Haham
Client: Yedioth books, 2014
The first characters I designed for this book were of a sweet colorful girl Vicky-Boom. I knew that the backgrownd will be very busy, and the main character needs to stand out. However, I was not entirely pleased with my work. Something was missing, and I couldn't quite tell what it was.
At that point, the author told me that all of her children had become very religious. Their children were not allowed to look at secular books, even if they were written by their grandmother. "Could you possibly create a more observant character?" she asked "My granddaughter really loves the story, and I would like to be able to read it to her for once".
Still I was not happy. I didn't mind Vicky-Boom wearing a long sleeved dress and panties – but something else was missing. The little girl's friends are mainly animals, and the illustrated theme is that of nature taking over. I wanted my main character to be able to connect with animals, so I gave her a rabbit suite.
That was not quite accepted at first, by the author and the editor. They felt that this decision is to be determined by the author, and mentioned in the text.
A week later I recieved a phone call from the editor. "I lay awake all night," she said, "and then I asked myself: Why the hell not"?