I like to joke that my daughter, Rachel, was born with a crayon in her hand. It’s just a joke, but could easily be true. She is a prolific artist who would overrun our house with her creativity if we did not force her to keep it confined.

Rachel will tackle anything, from ceramics to silk-screening her own t-shirts to making clothes from the $1 a pound bags of “used fabric” from the Garment District in Cambridge. Her paintings compete for wall space in the house. Every corner of the world is a canvas and every moment is filled with energy to decorate any visible surface. If I had a nickel for each time I had to mumble something about “when you get your own house” I would be a rich man.

In any case, it is a great delight to me that my publisher allowed me to include her illustrations in my latest book, “Lonama’s map”. Her pen and ink drawings provide wonderful glimpses into the world of Tessalindria that add life and energy to each of the main chapters. They were done the summer before the book was published, between her junior and senior year at Burlington High School, where she has been preparing to attend art school in the fall of 2004.

There were twelve illustrations altogether, but only eleven of them appear in the book. The twelfth one will appear with the epilogue of “Lonama’s Map”, to be published on Immerland.com at some undecided time following the book’s release.

At the right is the illustration from the third chapter, “The Margah in the River”.

If you like Rachel’s work and wish to comment on it, feel free to send her an e-mail.

F.W.Faller