The Bookjay was an idea hatched in 2023 when Caroline Stewart’s 5 year old son was learning to read. While he had an eagerness to read, his skills were slow to build. He needed additional practice at his current phonics level and was beginning to show signs of discouragement after every trip to the Library’s Easy Reader section. After careful thought, planning, and prayer, Caroline put her time as a Special Education teacher to use and began to write and illustrate her own set of readers for her son.
Thus, The Bookjay was “hatched.”
After months of honing her creative and artistic skills, Caroline finally began the task of digitally illustrating her own stories.
What is seen today, the finished product, is the labor of love from Caroline to her son and to give other children like him an opportunity to find the joy in storybooks all on their own.
Above are fun examples of Caroline’s early work practicing skills and learning how to create art digitally. LEFT: Art from a Self-Care Challenge in February 2023. RIGHT: Forget-me-not Fairy from a March Garden Challenge in March 2023.