Created for mothers by mothers, ‘Mother Wild: A Book Of Mothers’ Dreams’, has more than one purpose. While the book was designed as a simple bedtime story for children, the true intention is to re-awaken the wild, adventurous spirit in mothers – and not just through the words on each page.
All profits from the book will go towards supporting mothers in the best way that Mother Wild, also the name of the collective behind the book, knows how – through running retreats for mothers.
The purpose of these retreats is to help mothers realize (or remember) their passions, create space to rest and reset, and for mothers to connect with a nurturing, inspiring community. The collective plans to use the funds to offer these retreats either in-person or virtually, depending on profits made, to as many mothers as they can.
“We have six authors, nine illustrators, and a whole ocean of mothers’ dreams we want to support,” said Carmela Fleury in a press release, who first brought the group together in March 2020.
About the authors
The authors are Carmela Fleury, Angeli Gunn, Karin Hessilvik, Anna af Jochnick, Karryn Miller, and Tasha Miller. They are united by a love of dance parties, discovering new places (both around the world and within), and elevating other mothers.
The 39-page book was created virtually over Zoom calls, with participants hailing from Japan, USA, Canada, The Netherlands and the UK, while the 14 children between them often made cameos. Dreams were imagined and scribbled down with crayons on whatever was nearby, from used envelopes to kid’s artwork.
Nine artists from around the world came together to illustrate the book, creating imagery that has a distinct and unique feel to it. People dream differently and the imagery was designed to reflect that.
Each double page spread presents a different dream, from a mystical camel journey through the desert, to the simple pleasure of having an uninterrupted bath.
About the artists
The artists include Israel-born, U.S. based Aura Lewis who designed the cover and is a feminist author, illustrator and master mind behind several works including The Illustrated Feminist, We the People and Glorias Voice; Beirut-born, Montreal-based Niloufar Afnan who also created the artwork for Who Ate My Ice Cream; Indian/American artist, film maker and musician Deedee Cheriel who illustrated Geese Are Never Swans; Dutch illustrator Evelien Erichsen who is behind Pussycat and Bird; California based US/Argentinian graphic designer and artist Guady Pleskacz; South African mama, social impact leader, storyteller and emerging artist Lisa Hogg who has adopted Amsterdam as home; Swiss mother and fashion designer Nina Egli; Sydney-born, Byron Bay based artist Mia Taninaka and Melbourne-based illustrator and filmmaker Lucy Gouldthorpe who created Our Dog Knows Words with her dad.
“We didn’t just dream of making a book, we wanted to build a community,” said one of the authors, Tasha Miller.
Over the last year the collective has built community through online retreats and Mother the Mother, a monthly collection of workshops, classes, and discussions designed to nurture mothers.
“Whether or not the mother reading this seeks out these adventures is not the main purpose,” said co-author Karryn Miller.
“The point is to remind her that her dreams are worthy of space even if the only thing she does after putting the book down is go to bed,” added Angeli Gunn, who also co-authored the book.
‘Mother Wild: A Book Of Mothers’ Dreams’ retails for USD12 (softcover) and will be available through Lulu and other major book retailers from March 2022. A hardcover version of the book, in addition to the soft cover, can be ordered exclusively through Lulu via the Mother Wild website.
For more information visit www.motherwild.com or follow Mother Wild on Instagram @wearemotherwild
