"Sao Đâu?" | Dummy book

Picturebook creative camp 2024

"Sao Đâu?" ("Where are the stars?") is a dummy book project by artist Linh Khanh and artist Muoi. It was developed during the 2024 Picturebook Creative Camp hosted by Slow Circles in Da Lat, Viet Nam. Under the theme "Words of children, land, and trees – A dialogue with nature in children's picture books," the camp challenged artists to create a dummy book from scratch. The real catch? The entire process—from brainstorming and character design to making the dummy book and spin-off products—had to be completed in just 6 days, alongside packed daily workshops and meetings.

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Muoi and I paired up as a team. Starting as strangers, we quickly bonded over our shared interest in psychology. Those deep conversations and the adrenaline rush of beating a tight deadline together gave us unforgettable memories.

The breakthrough came after day two, during a walk through the pine hills. After tossing around ideas like a lonely little pine tree, early birds, or the daily life of ducks, we finally captured the spark for "Sao Đâu?". The story follows a city boy who wonders why the night sky doesn't have stars like in his books. On a trip to the countryside, his dog, Meo, steals his star badge and leads him into the forest behind the house. Getting lost in a clearing, Meo looks up, and the boy finally sees the starry sky of his dreams.

Through this simple story, we wanted to touch upon a global issue: urban light pollution.

Our project was proud to be one of the 5 works selected for a live read-aloud performance on the final day of the camp. Check out our dummy book below!

The process & The vibes

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Thank you for your reading!

Linh Khanh.