Robin Winwood 2025

Abstract

My project, titled “Philip’s Monster,” is a 40 page separate ended picture book about Philip the mouse, and the monster that follows him throughout his everyday life. The book explores themes of platonic intimacy and the comfort of home, as well as trauma, emotional sensitivity and mental illness. The book is memoir-esque in that Philip’s experience is a direct parallel to my own. The book is largely a reflection of my complicated and difficult feelings around the friendships and losses I experienced as a homeschooled, autistic adolescent growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Philip’s Monster is a retrospective project for me, which gave me space to look back on my childhood, while also serving as a stepping stone into my adult life. Going forward, I plan to pitch this book dummy to publishers and agencies, while using it as a portfolio piece in the meantime.