“A Curious Hunger” is a fully original picture book written, illustrated, designed, and hand-bound as the culmination of my senior design thesis. Spanning over five months of development, this project fulfilled a long-held dream to create a children’s book while also serving as a platform to express my passion for animal rights. The process began with weeks of storyboarding, character development, and visual exploration, followed by detailed illustration work in Procreate and layout design in InDesign. The final book was bound by hand using book board and book cloth, bringing the entire vision to life as a tangible, crafted object.

The story follows Sunny, a spirited chicken living an idyllic life alongside her elegant friend Perry the Peacock and the outspoken house dog Poppy. But when a stolen worm leads her on a search for food, Sunny stumbles upon something unsettling, an encounter that quietly reshapes her world.

A Curious Hunger explores themes of freedom, curiosity, and the often-unseen connections between all living beings. It is both a labor of love and a call for empathy, inviting readers of all ages to consider the lives of animals in a new light.