"Mink and Wolf"

Native American storytelling is an oral tradition. Although I appreciated the concept of verbally telling the story, I didn't see too much difference between writing and telling it. And then I heard Elaine Grinnell tell the story of "Mink and Wolf." She dictated the story to me over the phone and I was simply captivated. The inflections in her voice, the passion for the story, the humor--all of it made the story spring to life much more than words on paper. I looked for an artist for Elaine's story who had the same kind of energy. The first time I saw Michelle Silva's work was in a previous nature-based graphic novel that I did. Michelle did a wonderful pin-up of the main character, a snapping turtle called Mr. Big. I liked the energy of the drawing and looked at Michelle's other work, which included a wide array of topics and styles. I think you'll agree her illustration (below) for Elaine's story is captivating.