The House with the Ginger Cat
Project Description:
This is a series of illustrations for a picture book I created myself. It captures memories of childhood spent in nature—something that is becoming increasingly rare.
This story is about fears that seem enormous when you’re little and about friendship that helps overcome them. A girl who is afraid of everything unfamiliar moves with her parents to an old house in a village. Together with a ginger cat, she explores her new home and, without realizing it, becomes braver. And in the end, she finds a true friend.
The illustrations were created using a combination of traditional and digital techniques. The color palette is as natural as possible.
Short Story Summary:
The girl lived in her small world: the familiar boundaries of her room, known objects, no surprises. She was afraid of everything beyond her door—especially nature, where so much was unknown: insects, wild plants, giant cows.
But her world changed when she and her parents moved into an old house in the countryside. Along with the house, they “inherited” a ginger cat—independent, calm, and fearless. He became her first companion in this strange new place.
The cat acted as if the house belonged to him, and the girl was just a guest. But by following him, she started exploring the house and the yard. At first cautiously, then with growing confidence. She touched the rough bark of trees, smelled the sun-warmed grass, watched beetles that no longer seemed so terrifying.
Every day brought a new challenge, and with each step, she became braver. And just when she thought she was ready to explore the world alone, she met someone who made everything even better. She found a neighbor girl.
Now there were three of them: the girl, the cat, and her new friend.
This book is about taking small steps toward big courage. About friendships that appear when you’re ready to let someone into your world. And about childhood—the kind that exists where there’s room for adventure.
