The idea for my children’s picture book that I wrote and illustrated, “Rus & Moose,” is a fictional story inspired by my experience, with an element of exaggeration. My husband Rus was a long-haul truck driver, and before we were married, he had been driving a 70-foot-long semi-truck across the US. I also lived with him in the truck during summer and winter vacations. I thought life on the truck was interesting. I treated every day as a road trip. Thanks to his unique job, I have been to forty states in the United States and experienced many different cultures.
When I talked to my friends about the new things I saw during the trip, I realized through their reactions, that ordinary people have no idea what it looks like inside the truck, even though you see trucks on the road every day. I told my friends that there were two large double beds, a refrigerator, a small dining table, and a microwave inside each truck. Whoever heard about this was quite surprised. I realized it was a good subject for my book, and my unique experience allowed me to focus my perspective on it. After all, not all illustrators are married to truck drivers.
I fabricated the character of Moose. He is like me, who just experienced the truck for the first time. He sees everything with new eyes, smells and touches everywhere, and occupies too much space. But his company made a difference in Rus's life. The life of a truck driver is very dull. They often have to drive for more than ten hours at a time, and they must strictly abide by the delivery time. But when Rus found Moose, they became friends and shared this journey. This is the story of my book. While Moose helped Rus, Rus also took Moose to see different landscapes. Moose was a teenager, so he was rebellious and mischievous. He always wanted to escape from his family and see the outside world.
I used Procreate on the iPad to complete the entire book. I didn’t use too many fancy brushes and textures. My style is organic, and sincere. I want this simple story to express the most profound theme, the relationship between man and animals, nature, and family.
