Foster the Forever Tree
Vivien and Michael Atcheson, who own and operate M.A.N Made Creations, spend their lives designing and building high-quality, handcrafted furniture for childcare centres from sustainable Australian hardwood. They are passionate about their work, and equally passionate about educating people about the links between sustainability and good design practices. They decided to make a lasting contribution by publishing a children’s picture book that explained these ideas through the character of Foster, the forever tree. Written by Angela Hunt and illustrated by Paul Newell, Foster the Forever Tree is a story about an Australian gum tree who realises his dream of living forever with the help of Michael and Mohammad and the children and workers of the childcare centre that he ends up in.
I was delighted to help Vivien and Michael through the publishing process. When I first met them, they had a manuscript and the illustrations already, but they needed some assistance turning that into a finished product. I edited the text, liaised with the author, designed and typeset the cover and text pages, and helped them source an Australian book printer and paper stock made from sustainable sources. The result is a beautiful, large-format picture book that tells a gentle, informative story supported by lovely illustrations in a soft, unmistakably Australian, colour palette.