Ardis Cheng

Available at Redbubble

Author: Glynnis Hood
Illustrator: Ardis Cheng
Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books
Published: Oct 2022

Featured in Calgary’s Avenue Magazine Holiday Gift Guide 2022

Listed in the top 15 bestselling books for three weeks in December 2022 in British Columbia

Prints available on Redbubble.

What is the best kind of meal? A homemade one with good company of course! Simone in France is an unforgettable trip through French streets to prepare the perfect meal.

The follow-up to Simone in Australia, this adventure sees Simone heading to France for the first time to visit her friend, Lilou. A French feast is planned but they first need to pick up the ingredients. Simone is astonished to find it’s not a one-stop shop. From the cheese store to the butcher, the vegetable market, and not one but two bakeries, it’s a whirlwind trip around town that takes Simone through the streets and parks of Lilou’s hometown by bike and by foot. It all ends with a delicious feast, a special dessert, and the surprise crowning of a queen!

Simone in France is a hand-illustrated full colour picture book for 2-6 year olds. For a taste of France, join Simone and Lilou as they journey around town for one wild grocery trip to make one spectacular French feast!

Book Information:

Published 2017 by Paper Bear
221 x 198 x 3mm
30 pages
Printed in Australia on 100% recycled paper
ISBN: 978-0-9944972-4-6

Shortlisted and Highly Commended in the Published Author's Illustrations: Illustrated Picture Books category at the Children's and Young Adult Writers & Illustrators (CYA) Conference in Brisbane 2017

Was sold in:

Collins Booksellers in Croydon
132 Main St, Croydon VIC 3136

Hill of Content Bookshop
86 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Readings Kids
309 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053

Readings St Kilda
112 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Stoneman's Bookroom
101 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450

The Younger Sun
26 Murray St, Yarraville VIC 3013

Also available in French as Simone en Australie. Thank you Mathieu Lafabrie for translating. 100% of all profits from Simone en Australie will be donated on his behalf to support wildlife conservation in Australia. The conservation organisation/program will be announced later this year.

What’s the best way to travel in a new country? With a local of course! Simone in Australia is a rollicking trip of unique Australian sights, sounds, and activities.

Arriving from Canada, Simone has come to Australia for the first time to visit her friend, Jack. She has no idea what to expect. With Jack’s help, she soon gets a glimpse of local life. When it’s a hot summer day, the best way to spend it is to head down to the beach for a swim. All you need are your togs (Australian slang for swimsuit), hat, sunscreen, and a towel. Off they go, with one surprise after another as they encounter a range of Australian animals on their way to Squeaky Beach for Simone’s first dip in the ocean.

Simone in Australia is a hand-illustrated full colour picture book for 2-6 year olds. For the adventurous at heart, join Simone and Jack as they take in Australia’s landscapes, amazing wildlife, and share in their experience of a national pastime.

Book Information:

Published 2016 by Paper Bear
French version published 2018 by Paper Bear
221 x 198 x 3mm
30 pages
Printed in Australia on 100% recycled paper
ISBN: 978-0-9944972-2-2 (English version)
ISBN: 978-0-9944972-3-9 (French version)

Read a review:
The Deakin Review of Children's Literature
Kids Books We Love

Was sold in:

Abbey’s Bookshop (French version)
131 York St. Sydney NSW 2000

Collins Booksellers in Croydon
132 Main St, Croydon VIC 3136

Hill of Content Bookshop
86 Bourke St, Melbourne VIC 3000

Paper Planes Co.
5 Mandurah Terrace, Mandurah WA 6210

Readings Kids
309 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053

Readings Hawthorn
701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Readings St Kilda
112 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Space2b
144 Chapel St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Stoneman's Bookroom (English and French versions)
101 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450

The Younger Sun
26 Murray St, Yarraville VIC 3013

Having grown up in Canada, Christmas in Australia is a truly unique experience. It’s summertime, with people wishing for clear skies and 40°C heat for Christmas day, perfect weather for the beach and a barbeque. There are baubles and Christmas lights strung in leafy green trees and Santa has traded his big white-trimmed red coat for a singlet and thongs (or, for you non-Australians, a sleeveless top and flip flops).

So imagine my surprise when searching for Christmas cards I could only find the usual selection of snow-capped hills, evergreen trees, reindeer, and snowmen. Not content with my findings, I decided to create my own set of cards featuring some of the native flora and fauna of Australia, in the hopes of conveying how extraordinary a Christmas Down Under can be.

Also available in French as Les Miettes de Christophe. Thank you Alexandra Maytraud and Mathieu Lafabrie for translating.

What’s the best kind of bread? A crusty baguette of course! Christophe’s Crumbs is a lively tale that follows one merry meal from crumbly start to race track finish.

Christophe loves a baguette with a dark and crusty outside, and a light and fluffy inside. As he tears it into chunks, watch the crumbs fly. It’ll take more than a plate and an extra large placemat to catch all those crumbs. What do we need? A brush in the shape of a hedgehog! Making a mess has never been more delicious, nor has a clean up been more important. As Christophe knows, the best car races happen on a clear table with no crumb obstacles.

Christophe’s Crumbs is a hand-illustrated full colour picture book for 0-3yr olds. For those who enjoy good food, join Christophe as he tears, tastes, and munches his way through one delicious baguette. From crumbs to racing cars, it all ends up being fuel for great fun.

Book Information:

Published 2015 by Paper Bear
126 x 138 x 3mm
Printed in Australia on 100% recycled paper
ISBN: 978-0-9944972-0-8 (English version)
ISBN: 978-0-9944972-1-5 (French version)

Read a review:
Kids Books We Love

Was sold in:

Collins Booksellers in Croydon
132 Main St, Croydon VIC 3136

Readings Kids
309 Lygon St, Carlton VIC 3053

Readings Hawthorn
701 Glenferrie Rd, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Readings St Kilda
112 Acland St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Space2b
144 Chapel St, St Kilda VIC 3182

Stoneman's Bookroom (English and French versions)
101 Mostyn Street, Castlemaine VIC 3450

The Younger Sun
26 Murray St, Yarraville VIC 3013

For anyone who's wondered how I create a picture book, here is a quick summary of my process:

It begins with a story idea. The story takes shape through numerous drafts of text and storyboard sketches. These are improved time after time with research into factual information, finding image references for my drawings, and input from friends. I am very fortunate to have an amazing group of editors to review each draft - Chrissy, Athena, and Rob. They challenge my story-lines and debate my word choices, all the while helping me keep my voice and style but making it better with each rewrite. For example, Simone in France had 8 drafts.

Once I am happy with the story, I begin the final illustrations. This is where the story starts to become a book. Storyboard sketches are redrawn at a larger size and with greater detail. These drawings are inked, scanned, cleaned up, and vectorised using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Turning the ink drawings into digital files makes it easier for me to cut and paste in small amendments. I find it easier to draw by hand versus drawing by computer and have redrawn full illustrations two or three times to correct bigger mistakes.

When I'm satisfied with the digital image, I print the illustration out on watercolour paper. Using image references, I pick and choose colours for each element of the illustration. I mix and blend different watercolour pencils (from a set of 72) on scrap paper until I reach a desired effect and record each colour combination. I can now apply colour to the final illustration. If any colour mishaps occur, I will either reprint the illustration to start again, or reprint sections of the illustration to recolour and paste in using Photoshop. Simone in France has 28 illustrations but I probably completed closer to 40.

When all 28 illustrations are complete, they are scanned, cleaned up, and sized in Photoshop. I then import the illustrations into InDesign and format them with the text. Sometimes the text doesn't fit quite right in the illustration and I have to go back and do a redraw of part, or all, of an illustration. When the formatting is done, I share the file with my editors for a final proofread. With their approval, I assign a new ISBN and add a barcode to the cover. For the French versions, I mail a hard copy of the book to Mathieu, my French translator, who then sends me a brilliant translation in keeping with the spirit of the story.

The final file is sent to a local print company to print and bind hard copies of the book. I receive a mock-up of the book to okay before printing the final product. This usually takes 2 weeks. Once I have the books in hand, I visit local bookstores to see if they will stock copies on their shelves.

And that is how I make a picture book.