The Toolbox

written and illustrated by Karen Konnerth

THE TOOLBOX, a quirky, 201 word, illustrated picture book for ages 3 - 7, celebrates a boy’s discovery that he possesses a powerful tool not found in his trusty toolbox: his smile. Luca is a boy who believes that his toolbox holds all he needs to fix anything until he discovers that some problems are best resolved with a simple action showing empathy. The story fits into emotional learning curriculums of all kinds, and lives to encourage human connection for all.

I illustrate the story using my tactile process of hand painting and texturing paper, which I then cut and glue into images and characters, then photograph to assemble digitally.