the Tale of Kat & Dan

Back in January I was contacted by the sweetest gal who wanted the sweetest children's book to surprise her husband with on their wedding day. I've had insanely sweet requests before (remember the surprise Wedding/Honeymoon album?) but nothing of this magnitude. The story of how Katarina and Daniel met (then met again) is epic, and I'm not using that word lightly...

Katarina shared the full story on her blog but here's a quick synopsis: Katarina and Daniel both grew up in Croatia. Their families were good friends so the two pretty much knew each other since birth. They even have a photo of Dan blowing out the candles on Kat's first birthday cake! When they were young, the war in former Yugoslavia broke out. It forced both families to flee from their homes in Croatia and take refuge in Austria. After some time there, Dan's family got Visas to move to Australia. Kat's family tried to follow but their Visas were denied so they went to Canada instead. 

Fast forward many years...both their mothers had stayed in touch with each other but Kat and Dan were essentially strangers. So when Dan calls to ask if he can stay with her family in Canada, Kat was less than pleased. But once they met again, they hit it off right away and their whirlwind romance began! 

Such a perfect story to turn into a children's book. I had so much fun collaborating with Katarina on this book. Definitely top 5 favorite projects of all time! Here's a peek inside but there are more photos on my website as well.