I remember the exact moment I fell in love with Lauren’s Sololy’s work. I was standing in a little bookstore in winter reading When Emily was Small, Lauren’s picture book biography of Emily Carr. I loved how she captured both Emily’s internal world and the external landscape that surrounded her (so much green!), and the way she personified the concept of ‘wild’ as a friendly wolf. I loved how she painted little Emily’s hair pointing straight up, and her impressively thick and expressive eyebrows. I stood in that bookshop, entranced, dripping snow from my boots all over the floor.

I’ve loved every book Lauren has done since, but especially Tove and the Island With No Address, an imaginative engagement with the childhood of the Tove Jansson, best known as the creator of the Moomins. Though each book has its own particularities and charms, I could recognize Lauren’s lush art style a mile away.

Which is why I was intrigued to hear that Lauren’s latest book would illustrated by another artist, the wonderful Janie Hoa, who’s book Mad at Dad (Kids Can Press, 2024) won the CBC Kids Reads program in 2025, and was a finalist for the prestigious Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award. Intrigued, but not at all worried. Like Lauren’s work, Janie’s art is full of energy and emotion. Both creators are so clearly in touch with what it feels like to be small in the world. I suspected that they would create something remarkable together, and I was right! Hello, Beautiful Animal! (Kids Can Press, 2026). is a wonderful ‘how to’ guide to caring for living things, including the soft animal of one’s own body. There are so many beautiful lines and images that it’s hard to pick a favourite, but I am going to start each day from now on by asking the members of my family “What do you need this morning, my darling beast?”

JANIE: Do you have a process in which you come up with these amazing and sweet stories? What was your main inspiration for this story? I would love to hear more! Also, I am not sure if this counts as a second question, but I am curious what your favorite animal is and why.

LAUREN: Thanks Janie! I don’t really have a process, per se, but all of my stories start with a kernel of an idea that grows and grows until I have to turn it into a story. For this one, I was listening to myself and my family speaking to our family cat, and noticed how much easier it can feel to pour loving words into a pet than to speak that way to ourselves. Even though we are animals, too! I was very sick with cancer when I wrote this book, and I decided to speak to my body like I would speak to any animal that I loved. Because it is precious, and I do love it! And from there, the kernel for this book was born.

And oh no! How does anyone choose a favourite animal??? I can’t think of any animals that I don’t love, at least a little. (Except for ticks! Can I have a least favourite animal?) When I was a kid, though, I collected elephants because my favourite stuffy was a stuffed elephant named Elly.

Lauren: The manuscript for this book was pretty open-ended - there were no real characters written into it, and I had no idea where you would take it, but I love where you ended up, with the family and their pets, and all the love that you added with the illustrations. I'm wondering if any of these people or pets are based on people or pets that you know in real life - is that a particular cat? Do you know a corgi in real life (if so, I am jealous!) or someone who has a pet lizard (my friend has one, and her name is Barbara!) or did you make them all up from scratch? BONUS QUESTION (I have no idea if this is allowed!): Do you have any pets of your own? (Below is a photo of MY very beautiful cat, Magnolia.)

JANIE: Thank you so much for your kind words. I am really glad that you liked where we ended up with the characters! For the people, the little boy is low-key based on my husband, who is a Veterinarian. He always had a deep love for animals since he was small, so I took inspiration from him for that character (especially in that spot where the kid was playing Vet). Orange cats are also his favorite, so that one was also loosely based off of him too.

Secretly, I have an obsession with corgis. They are just so cute with their little legs and fluffy butts! I have a great respect for reptiles. It was one of my close friends who had a reptile video-watching era that opened my eyes to that world. All of these different animals are amazing!

Right now, we don't have any pets since we're both still moving and traveling a lot. But we both previously had pets. I was also fortunate that my last couple of roommates all had dogs, so that I got to be a dog auntie of four! Magnolia is beautiful; she is so cute napping as a little loaf!! I have attached a picture of me and one of my cats as a little girl below. I cried and begged my dad to get her back in the day!

ABOUT LAUREN:

Lauren Soloy currently lives in Nova Scotia, in a house that is exactly 100 years older than she is, with her librarian husband, two curious children, an ever-expanding collection of books, two hives of bees and one impeccable cat. She is a minorly successful gardener. She is also the author and illustrator of When Emily Was Small, Etty Darwin and the Four Pebble Problem, The Hidden World of Gnomes, Tove and the Island With No Address, Every Leaf on Every Tree and The Newest Gnome, and the illustrator of I's the B'y: The Beloved Newfoundland Folk Song and A Tulip in Winter.

Look out for Lauren’s next picture book Dear Petal: Emily Dickinson and her Flower Friends , which hit stores and libraries in March of 2027. It’s available for pre-order NOW from wherever you like to buy your books!

CONNECT WITH LAUREN ONLINE:

Website: www.laurensoloy.com

Instagram: @laurensoloy

ABOUT JANIE:

Janie Hao Janie is an illustrator, author, and designer. She is inspired by positivity, learning, and stories. Janie is currently based in Toronto, Ontario, but has lived in three countries and three provinces in Canada. In her free time, she enjoys meandering and hitting up all the local thrift shops.