Daijing Li

My project is a black-and-white picture book for children aged 8 to 12. The story follows a boy who falls into a forest in his dream, where he is accompanied by a rabbit with an “unusual” appearance as they journey through the dark woods, eventually overcoming mountains and valleys to bring him home. Along the way, they become friends, supporting each other through challenges, and the boy offers a hat as a token of gratitude. The entire book is rendered in monochrome, with only subtle warm oil pastel touches added at moments such as lantern light and the glow of the returning mountain path.

The original intention behind this story was to explore the idea of “not judging by appearances.” Many children’s books depict “bad characters” as dark, ugly, or repulsive—visually reinforcing the notion that “looking scary = being bad.” As an illustrator, I realized that words alone cannot break this pattern; the images themselves must change. A dark visual language can also carry warmth and tenderness.