Polly Blue tells the story of a small blue butterfly, innocent and free, who suffers a great trauma from the sky. Polly Blue is paralyzed by her fear, to the point that she can no longer fly, for the sky is too frightening. So, she walks, trudges, and lives a life of despair and fear. Eventually, she meets someone whose simple wisdom and hope free her from her terror.
Clearly, I wrote and illustrated this story after the ghastly events of the 11th of September, 2001. It came quickly, in a surge of compassion for the children of the world, among them my own, who will be marked for all of their lives by the events of that day. I also wrote it for the Pixie, whose childhood was shattered not only by that day, but by the cruelty of a deranged man who nearly killed her for a lark. She spent years cowering under tables when a plane flew overhead or when the wind rattled the windows. Unable to spend a moment alone, she spent countless nights falling asleep in restaurants or in her father's arms at corporate events when her parents could not stay at home and took her with them. The hollow look of horror in that child's eyes is something I will never forget. She is a fine and strong and happy young woman now and I hope that part of what helped her to overcome her troubles is the words and pictures of Polly Blue.
Polly Blue is a hand made book. Each cover is cut from paper made from bamboo. The drawings were done in ink and watercolour. The book is hand bound, in the Japanese style, with green ribbon of pure silk. This is a first edition, limited to 250 copies, each numbered and signed on the last page.