I created a foundation for a series of children’s books that explore themes of kindness and community-building in a forest in the hopes that this project can help foster a love for nature. I believe that caring about our environment begins with caring for small, everyday creatures, even if it’s just a lizard or a snail. My stories focus on the value of kindness - whether it is being kind to oneself or giving something to others. The first book, "Lizzie Says No", follows Lizzie, a people-pleasing lizard. Despite being tired, she says yes to every favor until she eventually becomes exhausted and is faced with the need to say no. By saying no and having that boundary respected, she learns that saying no doesn’t need to be scary. In the second book, "Sheldon’s Collection", Polly the roly poly visits her friend Sheldon the snail. The reader follows Polly inside Sheldon’s shell, which is bigger on the inside, to find a sizeable collection of things Sheldon has found in the forest that he has been hoarding. Polly encourages him to give his things away. By giving his collection to other forest creatures, Sheldon learns the joy of sharing and letting go. "Forest Fables" consists of two dummy books with 2 fully illustrated spreads each (4 spreads total) and a map that geographically ties the stories together. I imagined this forest as a cozy community where everyone knows each other. I wanted this series of picture books to take place in the same setting because I want kids to be exposed to the idea of an ecosystem. In this ecosystem, every living thing is connected and every small decision can impact others in big ways. I want kids to grow up knowing that they have the ability to shape their community - no matter how big or small.