Little Bud's Family

The story of Little Bud follows the character Little Bud, who was adopted into a kind family of birds. She later meets a group of fairies who were banished from Fairy-Land. Little Bud is so moved by their homesickness and sorrow for their homeland that she decides to help the fairies return home. Though sweet and whimsical, their journey was not without struggles. From the bleak, dead winters, to the Fairy Queen Dew-Drop’s requirements of them, Little Bud and the three fairies overcome obstacle after obstacle to return happily home.

This spread is the very first spread of the story and serves as an expositional shot to introduce the main character's bird family. Here, Little Bud's egg is found and adopted by this bird pair, and they later raise her as their own after she hatches.

I wanted this spread to feel warm and welcoming, since it's a focus on family. The tree branches lead your eye to the birds, where, if you look close enough, you can see Little Bud's white and golden egg among their own blue ones. The dappled sunlight makes the scene feel peaceful.