Today we're pleased to feature an illustrator's gallery by Darka Erdelji, whose latest book is written by Sheree Fitch. 

About Polly MacCauley's Finest Divinest Wooliest Gift of All: From one of Canada's most loved and lauded children's writers comes a new tale about the joy of making things, the strength of community, and the warm reach of generosity. This beautifully illustrated storybook blends poetry and prose, infused with Fitch's trademark wit and playfulness, to tell the story of Polly MacCauley, a bit of a mystery in her community of River John, who spends her time making wondrous things with wool. When Star, a very special lamb, is born on a nearby farm, Polly knows that with Star's wool she can make her 'finest, divinest, wooliest gift of all'. But the greedy Count and Countess of far-off Wooland have learned about the lamb's arrival, too, and are determined to add her to their flock.

Will the good folk of River John join together to see that Star gets to her rightful home? Will Polly be able to finish her masterpiece? Darka Erdelji's gorgeous illustrations have just the right amount of whimsy, perfectly capturing the spirit of Fitch's touching yarn.

Divided into nine short sections, this is a grand book to share aloud, or read alone. It will appeal to children of all ages. And to knitters, weavers, spinners and the warm-hearted everywhere.

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From Polly MacCauley's Finest, Divinest, Wooliest Gift of All

From Jack and the Green Man

From Jack and the King of Ashes

From The Queen of Paradise's Garden

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A native of Slovenia, Darka Erdelji received a Masters of Arts in Puppet Scenography from Prague’s Akadmie Muzickych Umeni. She lived in St. John’s with her Newfoundland-born partner and their children for several years; during that time, she began collaborating with Andy Jones, first on their puppet play “The Queen of Paradise’s Garden”, and then on their acclaimed series of illustrated Jack tales. Darka currently designs puppets for Lutkovno Gledališče Maribor, a state-of-the-art Slovenian puppet theatre housed in a renovated medieval monastery.

In the summer of 2015, Darka's artwork for two of the Jack books was featured at “Image. Word. Design: Exploring Picture Book Illustration in Atlantic Canada,”  an exhibition at the Acadia University Art Gallery in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Her books with Running the Goat are: The Queen of Paradise’s Garden, Jack and the Manger, Jack and Mary in the Land of Thieves and Jack, the King of Ashes. The fifth book in this on-going series, Jack and the Green Man was published in the fall of 2016.

In June of 2017 Polly MacCauley's Finest, Divinest, Woolliest Gift of All, her new collaboration, this time with Sheree Fitch, will be published.