AMY CAMBER
ILLUSTRATION / COMICS / GRAPHIC NOVELS
THE
LOFT ANIMALS
Picture book, 2020
This story centers around small, invisible creatures called "loft animals" (named after the abandoned spaces they often inhabit). While loft animals are quite social and mischievous with one another, their “work” is to find humans who are suffering for reasons big or small, and to just be with them.
The book is inspired by the work my husband, a therapist, and I have done with our children as they navigated the excessive anxiety of recent years. We found the idea of visitations by invisible, loving creatures as a successful exercise in mindfulness and self-soothing.
Over the years, I’ve often thought how all of us could use a “loft animal” or two. And, in this unprecedented time of uncertainty, fear, and isolation, it feels more important than ever to pause, breathe deeply, and nurture one's heart.