Love Grows/El Amor Crece is an independently published book that chronicles the founding of the Hearts for Honduras School/Corazones Para Honduras. I was commissioned to illustrate the book, and in exchange was able to visit the school in 2012 to meet the children, it's founder and director, Paty Villanueva, and learn more about this wonderful organization.
The book itself includes text in English and Spanish, and was my first illustration gig. I learned quite a bit through the experience and hope to work on more projects of this nature in the future.
To the left is the front cover, and below is each 2 page illustration, with accompanying text and page numbers below it. If you'd like to purchase the book, please look on the Hearts for Honduras website, which will have ordering information. All proceeds go directly to funding the school!
2) The thing about love that you should know, is if you give love away it will grow and grow.
3) In my friend Paty's heart, love was planted as a seed. In her faraway town there were many children in need.
6) They walked the dirt roads to Paty's house each day, to work and to learn, instead of to play.
7) The children were so happy when they learned to read; they said thank-you, thank-you, thank-you Paty indeed.
10) The mothers came to Paty and said "Please, please, please won't you please teach ALL of our children to read"?
11) Paty called her brother, Carlos, and her friends, Doug, and Nancy. Together they came up with an idea that was really quite fancy.
13) "But how will we get the wood, metal, and sand? For this we must go hand in hand.."
14) So, they went to the airport and got on a plane, and thought to themselves "Will we need a crane?"
17) Paty's brother and friends felt the love in their hearts, and knew they must surely do their part.
18) The thing about love that everyone should know, is if you give love away, it will grow and grow.
21) The students knew about love and said "What'll we do?" Then they thought "We'll give love to Mama, Papa, y tu!"
22) So, down to this day, if you go to La Entrada, they'll give you smiles and hugs a lotta, lotta, lotta!
4) Paty gathered some of the children in her quaint house, from biggest to smallest, almost tiny as a mouse.
5) She knew right away what would make their lives better, so she taught and taught until each knew their letters.
8) They knew Paty loved them and that she cared, because of the time and the knowledge she shared.
9) They each told a friend, then another and another, and before Paty knew it, it was up to the mothers.
12) They said "We know exactly what to do..."
"We'll build a school!"
15) Eventually the plane landed and then Paty showed, the way to the town down the long, bumpy road.
16) They saw SOOOO many kids and thought, "This is funny! We really are going to need lots of money!"
19) So, Paty's friends told their friends and before they knew it, they had enough money and cheered "Yes! We'll do it!"
20) So, they built that school and each student knows, if you give love away, it grows, and grows, and grows.
23) Sometimes a kind word, act or deed is all that anyone of us needs.
I tell you this story so you'll always know to give love away, so it can grow and grow and grow!