Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers
“Stories live in a strong pull to create and a wish to share the observed, the imagined, the remembered, the unseen, the unknown.”
This line gets at the heart of “Where Do Stories Live?,” a forthcoming picture book from St. Paul author and illustrator Meenal Patel. The protagonist, Avni, gets a new journal as a gift, and the book follows her as she explores during a summer day, deciding what to put in her own story. Patel’s rich, earth-hued illustrations and spare prose take readers along as Avni packs her backpack, goes for a hike, counts a tree’s rings, and gets a big hug from her mom—everyday moments that the book’s audience will find universally relatable.
Patel says her childhood in Minnesota has shaped her work in many ways. “I think of being a Minnesotan as one of the layers of my cultural background, which have all influenced my writing and art,” she says. “Finding ways to tell stories and make art that honestly weaves in my cultural backgrounds has made me think deeply about how layered all of our experience are.” Avni’s Indian heritage is woven through the story and illustrations, too—a photograph on the kitchen table labeled “Gujarat 1978,” a line about “the color of a wedding sari,” and a sweet family tree she adds to her new journal.
Courtesy of Meenal Patel
A background in graphic design helped Patel hone her “visual voice,” but she says she’s been drawing and painting for as long as she can remember. “I don’t have a formal education specifically in children’s book writing or illustration, so I’ve learned about these over many years from studying children’s books, taking classes, learning from children’s books creators, and reading books about craft,” she says.
“Where Do Stories Live?,” which hits bookstores on May 5 and is published by Kokila, illuminates the small, seemingly mundane moments of a child’s life that ultimately add up to a sense of love and belonging; Patel says a lot of her art centers those things. Nature is a starring character, too. “The range and intensity of the seasons [in Minnesota] have taught me to pay attention to nature, appreciate the change between seasons, and zoom into the small changes alongside the big ones,” she says. “I feel the wonder of seasonal change here the most at this time of year when we are emerging from winter and pushing our way into spring—all the green sprouts finding their way out of the frozen, brown earth.”
Courtesy of Meenal Patel
In fact, it was a springtime walk of her own that inspired Patel to write and illustrate the book. “During the walk, I saw a grassy park covered in dandelions and had a playful conversation with my husband about dandelion lifecycles,” she says. It led to the titular question—and then some. “What stories do we find in our lives? What stories do we find in the world beyond ourselves? What stories do we pay attention to?” asks Patel. “All of these questions … led me to think about how we can honor the stories outside ourselves through paying attention to them. And we can honor the stories inside ourselves through noticing or sharing them.”
She hopes her young readers will bring their own experiences, curiosities, and imaginations to the book. “It doesn’t feel like this book will be complete until it’s in their hands, and they bring their own stories and perspectives to it.”
Keen-eyed readers will spot some familiar landscapes in “Where Do Stories Live?” “The settings in the illustrations that the two sisters journey through were inspired by Minnesota—the rivers, bluffs, coneflowers, Eastern white pines, and Northern Lights,” Patel says.
Courtesy of Meenal Patel
The book achieves one of the highest purposes of children’s literature: making the specific—Minnesotan coneflowers or a Gujarati wedding photo—feel universal, and the small—a spring wildflower or a mama’s hug—feel big.
“Where Do Stories Live?” is out May 5; $19, Kokila/Penguin Random House. Meet Meenal Patel at local author events at Wild Rumpus (Minneapolis, May 16) and Red Balloon Bookstore (St. Paul, June 6). More info at meenalpatelstudio.com.
Courtesy of Penguin Young Readers
