Publishing > Bruna discovers love

Bruna discovers love

Illustrator and co-author

In April 2023, Bruna Publishing invited me to illustrate the protagonist of their first children’s book collection: Bruna, a Shiba Inu pup who travels the world with her human.

While working on her design (see more about the character development), I was also invited to co-write the first two stories alongside Ro Rothamel, an expert in emotional education. We wanted Bruna to explore not just the world, but her emotions too—teaching children that all feelings are valid. We chose each destination with intention, avoiding clichés: love isn’t found only in Paris, but also in the warmth of grandparents in Japan. That’s how Bruna discovers love was born.

We opted for rhyming text to give rhythm to the reading experience, and included questions to encourage interaction between children and adults. For the illustrations, I delved deeply into Japanese culture. Although I had visited the country before, I asked myself: What would her grandparents’ home look like? How could I reflect their daily life authentically? I chose Kyoto as the setting and built each scene with visual and narrative coherence.

I laid out the drafts, tested print versions, and adjusted pacing so the text would flow naturally with the illustrations. I worked with soft backgrounds and inked characters, then spent days painting them in watercolor. Pilar—a colleague, friend, and fairy godmother of my illustrations—handled the digital cleanup and white balance to ensure a flawless finish.

I oversaw every step of the process through to the final print, making sure the result stayed true to the original artwork.

Finally, in October 2024, we launched this book alongside Bruna discovers anger“, in Madrid.

Where to buy?

Australia

Valeria Gottau
Send a message through the Contact section or via direct message on my Instagram.

Wilde Interiors
31 Challis St, Newport VIC 3015, Australia, +61499902717, info@wildeinteriors.com.au

Argentina

Yenny El Ateneo www.yenny-elateneo.com
All Books Pte J. E. Uriburu 774 10/B Ciudad de Buenos Aires Bs As all-books.mercadoshops.com.ar | Bruna +54 (11) 33587601 | medicina.allbooks@gmail.com
Rodando cuentos Beruti 1647 | Martinez, Pcia Bs As
Argentina Plaza Regional Fondo de cultura www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Notanpuan www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Menendez www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Iupi www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Los Galgos www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Brezal www.plazaregional.com.ar | consultas@plazaregional.net
Ciudades Invisibles (La Rioja) www.plazaregional.com.ar

Chile

Internacional Libros Av. Condell 520, Providencia, Santiago de Chile | internacionallibros.cl | +562 2923 1400 | contacto@internacionallibros.cl

Spain

Barcelona Sant Antoni de Vilamajor, Barcelona. | +34 622 61 61 07 | rmrothamel@gmail.com

Mexico

From anywhere

VitalSource | Ebook www.vitalsource.com/es