30 Minutes Over Oregon

Author and friend, Marc Tyler Nobleman has written a great non-fiction picture book manuscript which has received some great responses from teachers, kids and editors, but has yet to be acquired by a publisher. Marc approached some illustrator friends (including me) to design mock covers for the manuscript.



Here's his description of the story:

"Thirty Minutes Over Oregon

Hiroshima. Dresden. London. Brookings?

Americans know the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as one of the most infamous events of WWII. However, few on either side know that the next year, the Japanese also bombed mainland America—twice. Navy pilot Nobuo Fujita launched his two-seater seaplane off a submarine and hit the woods outside tiny Brookings, Oregon. He was the first (and still only) wartime enemy to complete an aerial attack on American soil.

None were hurt, but all involved were changed. Twenty years later, amid a blaze of controversy, Brookings invited Nobuo back. Though nervous, he felt an obligation to say yes. He brought his family's 400-year-old samurai sword, the same he had taken on every war mission. Always a man of honor and now a man of peace, he planned to gift it to the town. He would be devastated if his onetime targets did not forgive him..."



Below are some notes and sketches I did after reading the manuscript. To see the cover that I designed, along with all the great covers, feedback, and comments, check out Marc's post about the project here.