A Peek at Picture Book Development

Overview

The Lights That Stay

Author
Cortney Cino

Illustrator
Marina Saumell

Overview: The Lights That Stay whimsically articulates the incredible vibrance of the sun and a child’s inner light, their connection, and their impact on the world. Embark on a journey that explores the interplay between these two enduring lights, revealing an inspiring story of resilience and personal growth. As a young girl moves from childhood mischief through setbacks in adulthood, her inner light guides and grows with her. This book is more than a story; it’s a reminder of resilience, a celebration of a growth mindset, and a testament to the incredible abilities within each of us. 

Publication
Jan 2024

Inspiration: This book was inspired by the author’s daughters, who come home from school each day with emotions ranging from joy and excitement to sadness and frustration. They have experienced moments of both total elation and extreme disappointment in their young lives so far. Every day, they stride ahead, encountering new trials and conquering greater challenges. Each child follows a consistent yet uniquely distinct path and process - illuminated by their individual inner light. This book was written to inspire readers to remember and harness their own forever present lights.

The Book’s Themes & Key Words:

Journey of Life

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Personal Growth

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Resilience

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Building Confidence

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Inner Light

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Sun

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Empowerment

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Self-esteem

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Emotions

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Journey of Life - Personal Growth - Resilience - Building Confidence - Inner Light - Sun - Empowerment - Self-esteem - Emotions -

Character drawing for The Lights That Stay

Marina working on a character sketch of the main character for The Lights That Stay at 3/4 years old.

Character drawing for The Lights That Stay

Marina working on a character sketch of the main character in college.

Educational materials for young artists including small brown paper boxes, printed flyers and worksheets, and bags of colorful clay or balls, all arranged on a dark striped carpet.

Putting together packets for local schools to collaborate on an art project for The Lights That Stay leading up to the book launch.

Character drawing for The Lights That Stay

Marina working on the main character’s age progression since she grows older in the book.

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Overview

Piper’s Pet Pursuit

Author
Cortney Cino

Illustrator
Luis Peres

Overview: Piper’s Pet Pursuit is an endearing story that follows Piper's quest to have a pet of her own. Every day, she pleads with her parents for a pet, only to be met with “no.” Piper befriends unexpected insect visitors like ants, beetles, and cockroaches, trying to make them feel at home. When Piper rescues a lizard and creates the Bugmore Bed and Breakfast, her parents can’t ignore her passion and persistence. In a heartwarming twist, they surprise her with an unexpected gift. Piper's journey teaches readers about patience, kindness, and the joy of pursuing one's passions even when the quest takes quirky twists and turns.

Publication
Jan 2024

Inspiration: This book was inspired by the author’s oldest daughter who has begged for a pet for years. While she is not yet willing to pick up pet poop, she does try to show her readiness for a pet by cleaning her room for a few days at a time. Four fish have perished under the family’s supervision, so they are still in the early phase of considering a pet. That said, Piper’s creative approaches to demonstrating her passion and readiness mirror many of the quirky events that have unfolded in the author’s home. This book was written for all children who love pets and animals and/or who are striving to reach a goal in an unconventional or unique way.

The Book’s Themes & Key Words:

Pets

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Persistence

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Creativity

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Animal Love

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Patience

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Pet Pursuit

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Humor

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Pets - Persistence - Creativity - Animal Love - Patience - Pet Pursuit - Humor -

This is a time lapse of Luise developing a draft spread that highlights the extravagant Bugmore Bed & Breakfast.

This is a time lapse of Luis developing Piper, the little girl and main character of Piper’s Pet Pursuit.

Luis Peres's desk showing pictures of the illustrations of Piper's Pet Pursuit.

Luis at his desk working on the illustrations for Piper’s Pet Pursuit.

Piper's Pet Pursuit illustrator Luis Peres

The talented Luis Peres in his lovely home country of Portugal.

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Overview

Finally Home

Author
Cortney Cino

Illustrator
Tim Deberd

Overview: Finally Home is about the special moment a family reunites after months apart. Today is finally the day! Narrated by Sara, a spirited 7-year-old, the story unfolds as anticipation builds on the day of her dad's long-awaited return. From the bustling preparations at home to the journey to the base, readers share in Sara's mix of nervous anticipation and excitement. After much waiting, she can finally see Daddy’s plane overhead. She and the others watch as all the planes land. But they have to wait some more until it is safe to run out. Then, Sara and her brother finally hear the signal and race out on the airfield to Daddy. Relief and abundant joy fill the following moments as the family reunites.

Publication
May 2025

Inspiration: This deeply personal story by the author reflects her firsthand experience as a military spouse stationed at MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina. Her husband served two deployments with the Marine Corps in 2009 and 2011. Witnessing the sacrifices made by military families, especially the resilience of young children, inspired Cortney to capture the poignant reunions at the end of deployments. Though focused on a Marine Corps family, Cortney hopes this book resonates across all branches of the military and serves as an educational resource for non-military children to understand unique aspects of military life. At the heart of the book is something universally relatable - missing a loved one and finally reuniting after a long time apart.

The Book’s Themes & Key Words:

Reunion

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Patience

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Honor

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Family

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Military

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Patriot

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Sacrifice

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Joy

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Reunion - Patience - Honor - Family - Military - Patriot - Sacrifice - Joy -

Line drawing of a woman saluting with other children around her holding signs and drawings, in a welcoming home environment.

Sketch of a scene when Sara, Momma, and Lucas watch the planes line up in a row. The canopies finally pop open all at once.

A young girl with a red bow in her hair and a yellow dress sits next to an older boy with blond hair, both drawing or coloring on a large poster that says "Welcome Daddy!" with drawings of a house, a heart, and stars. They are by a window on a sunny day.

One of the spreads showing Sara and Lucas adding final touches to Daddy’s poster.

An illustration of a young girl in a yellow dress holding a small dog, surrounded by four sketches of her face showing different expressions and angles, with the words 'Character Personality' handwritten at the bottom and the artist's handle '@tim_deberd'.

Character drawing of Sara, the main character and narrator, by Tim Deberd.

A sketch of children running at an airport with airplanes and control tower in the background, and the title 'Finally Home' written at the top.

Earlier draft of the cover art and typography. The kids were originally facing away from the reader, and we flipped them.

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Overview

Sincerely, Antonia

Author
Cortney Cino

Illustrator
Tadgh Bentley

Overview: Sincerely, Antonia is a story about unexpected friendships, adventure, and different perspectives. Antonia, a tiny guest with a big message, visits Jay's house and has a delightful time until Jay's parents start behaving strangely. Jay is a boy who loves sports, rockets, and snacks, and unknowingly leaves trails of crumbs everywhere he goes. The army of ants visiting his home is grateful to him, but they are growing suspicious of Jay's parents. Through teamwork and chocolate, the army writes Jay a letter to alert him to his parents' strange behavior. However, could there be more to the story than the ants realize?

Publication
June 2025

Inspiration: The author's children love snacks. They sneak them into their bedrooms and the living room, unknowingly leaving trails of crumbs that tend to attract tiny visitors. These visitors come right in and make themselves at home, not wanting to leave. The children continue to eat their snacks all around the house, unaware that their carefree eating habits are causing major stress for Mom and Dad. While the kids have no issue sharing with the tiny guests, the grownups constantly ask themselves, "How can we teach these kids to be cleaner?" and "How many more times am I going to have to wipe the counters today?"

The Book’s Themes & Key Words:

Ants

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Ooey-Gooey Messes

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Sweet Tooth

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Family

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Creepy-crawly

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Point of View

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Friendship

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Perspectives

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Ants - Ooey-Gooey Messes - Sweet Tooth - Family - Creepy-crawly - Point of View - Friendship - Perspectives -

A table with a birthday cake, balloons, and presents. A girl with brown hair wearing a blue shirt is sitting at the table, celebrating a birthday. There are ants on the table and around the cake. A window shows sunlight outside.

Early spread where we are working on lighting a textures of the spreads.

A sketch of a small animal, possibly a bear or a dog, lying on its side on a bed or blanket with scattered small objects around it.

Sketch of Jay on the couch eating cookies while the ants munch away at the falling crumbs.

Animated illustration of a young boy with brown hair and big eyes, holding a tiny insect on his finger, with a cheerful expression. There are ants and toys in the background. The scene includes a speech bubble saying, 'Hi there! What are you doing here?' and text discussing the importance of helping.

Draft spread of Jay coming face to face with Antonia.

Book cover titled 'Sincerley, Antonia' with a chocolate doughnut at the top and the authors' names, Cortney Cino and Tadgh Bentley, at the bottom.

Earlier draft of the cover art and typography. We played with the shape and spacing of the letters to make it legible.

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