Futa Fata has officially launched an extraordinary collaborative book - Púcaí Schmúcaí.
Written by acclaimed Irish author Gabriel Rosenstock, Púcaí Schmúcaí is a collection of poems, old and new. Some have been turned into music with compositions by John Ryan, others narrated by the fabulous journalist and radio presenter Sinéad Ní Uallacháin, with the special participation from children from Scoil Naomh Gobnait, Dún Chaoin and all of them illustrated by the incredible Úna Woods and myself.
Here you can see which images were made by each illustrator, either Úna Woods or Tarsila Krüse
For this particular book Úna and I agreed to use the same colour palette to keep consistency throughout the book. We also envisioned the poems fitting into an overarching display of unusual things that can happen during the day.
The book starts with dawn-breaking lyrics and imagery. Then, the sun comes out, and the rooster announces what is ahead. As we travel through the book, the colours become brighter as the sun shines high up in the sky, slowly shifting into dusky shades and finally into a warm night.
Below you can see two of my favourite pages, An tOchtapas and Frog is Fiche.
I love An tOchtapas because my son is currently eight years old, like the octopus in the poem. He also loves animals, including octopuses, and his name is Otto. You can see what I mean…
Frog is Fiche allowed me to explore elements in the composition, play with framing, and ultimately draw 20 little frogs having the time of their lives!
At the back of the book, there are QR codes accompanying every poem that can be used at home or in the classroom for a more immersive and inclusive experience of Púcaí Schmúcaí.
A beautiful and magical book for the young, filled with whimsy and imagination for everyone who speaks Irish, even if only cúpla focail.
Tarsila Krüse
