Friendship blooms

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This article was published 11/06/2024 (517 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A long-distance friendship between two Winnipeg mothers has grown into a fruitful creative relationship.

Monique Pantel and Lana Belton are the author and illustrator of a sunny new children’s book about empathy and legacy, entitled What Grows When You Give.

The pair ran in similar social circles for years, but got to know each other over social media while living on different continents.

Pantel, a photographer, had moved to rural Panama and Belton, a graphic designer, was studying in Berlin. They both gave birth to their first children amid the pandemic and started sending messages back and forth, commiserating over the joys of motherhood and the struggles of isolation.

Shortly after the birth of her son Noah, Pantel was inspired to write a story that captured her hopes for the future. She shelved the personal project, but eventually pitched Belton on the idea of illustrating the story and turning it into a full-fledged children’s book.

What Grows When You Give follows a helpful dove as she doles out mango tree branches to assist neighbourhood children, farmers and fishers. Soon, her mango tree is bare of branches, but new saplings have cropped up across the countryside everywhere the dove lent a wing. It’s available through FriesenPress and Amazon.

Free Press: What was the inspiration for this story?

Monique Pantel: Writing a children’s book was never on my list of goals. I have a pretty strong meditation and yoga practice and it was exactly a month after giving birth to Noah that I had my first real meditation. I lit incense and I sat down and I opened my journal and said something to the effect of “What do I need to hear?” And what came was this story.

FP: Why was this the story you needed to hear at that point?

MP: I think it’s such a heartwarming story about generosity and the ways you can help others and the beautiful things that can come from that. It’s a legacy piece.

Lana Belton: The themes of the story really relate to these shifts in the way we view the world and our place in it after we become mothers … suddenly you’re thinking about building for the future. So this idea of regeneration and planting a tree, is there anything more true to the essence of parenting than planting a tree that you may not get to enjoy? You’re not planting a tree for yourself anymore, it’s for your children and your community.

FP: It sounds like the story really resonated with you, Lana.

LB: It did. When Monique reached out and emailed me a copy of the manuscript, I read it and had tears in my eyes. It felt like a really tight story from the beginning and the illustrations I do are often reflective of the natural world and I’m deeply inspired by nature, so it really felt like pictures that I wanted to draw.

FP: How did you collaborate on the project?

MP: Because Lana was either in Berlin or in Winnipeg and I was in Panama, we would meet online and we’d always experiment with really fun background on our calls. It was so lovely, from our very first meeting in The Shire (where Tolkien’s hobbits reside). I shared the manuscript and offered creative examples of the kinds of drawings I was hoping for and then Lana just did her thing.

FP: A lot of the illustrations are inspired by your home in Panama, were you sending along lots of reference photos?

MP: Absolutely, we have a shared folder that I filled with photos of what an Azuero dove looks like, our village, the mountains, the butterflies, the horses, Because it’s such a remote place — there’s only one road leading into town — I feel like, culturally, it’s remained protected (from modernization). A lot of the older men wear traditional garb with these beautiful straw hats and leather sandals they make by hand and you’ll see nods to that. My hope is to translate it into Spanish because I’d really love to share it with the community.

FP: Lana, is this the first children’s book you’ve worked on?

LB: It is. Prior to this I did a lot of brand illustrations and commissions and this felt like a huge tick off the old bucket list because I adore children’s books. I’ve been collecting children’s books since before I even thought about having a kid. They’re such a beautiful and interesting medium in the way they blend poetry or prose with images.

And when you’re making art for children, it’s a space where you can be pretty magical and playful. I just love anything that can take me back to that kingdom of childhood.

FP: What was the highlight of the project?

LB: We reconnected at this really pivotal time in our lives and it all felt very kismet and magical. It was one of the first big projects I worked on after coming back from my maternity leave, so the whole thing felt very magical and nurturing.

MP: From my end, because this is a heart project — not an intense career move or anything like that — and it was just something I really wanted to bring into the world, there was no specific timeline and I never felt pressure to push too hard to make the book happen. It’s been a really lovely experience. And (Lana) totally brought the story to life through her illustrations and through her heart. She is such a wonderful person and she’s become a really beautiful friend.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

X: @evawasney