Student Illustrator Celebrated at Book Signing

The FWCD community gathered to celebrate Emily Simpson ’27 at a book signing on Tuesday, March 3, in the Carolyn W. Fierer Library in the Lower School. Hosted by the FWCD Libraries, the event kicked off with a welcome from Tammy Wolford, Lower School Librarian and Department Chair, who introduced Emily and her art teacher, Holly Clifford. Clifford then posed questions to Emily about her process and experience illustrating Michael, The Boy Who Danced on the Waves (by Ashlee Cramer), which was published by Bell Astari Publishing. 

Simpson learned of the opportunity last year when Dana-Susan Crews, Founder of Bell Asteri, reached out to Clifford, who had recently learned that her class had won the High School Classroom Division of the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo Art Contest. Crews was looking for a student illustrator. Clifford gave her two names: one of which was Simpson, who took a proactive approach and designed a cover for the book.

At the signing, Simpson shared original watercolor pages from the book and shared how she worked on the illustrations for eight months, primarily during her art class under Clifford’s supervision. Using watercolor and markers, she brought Michael’s story to life. Kramer, the book’s author, is Michael’s mother. The book chronicles Michael’s cancer diagnosis and his dream to “dance again on the waves.”

“It’s really inspiring that this mother is writing a book about her son, and I could be a part of that,” Simpson said. “I enjoyed being able to bring this story to life.”

Working remotely with Kramer, who lived in Miami, Simpson received videos and pictures of the hospital to inform her sketches. “I would sketch each page and submit that to Ms. Kramer to make sure it fit the vision she had for the book,” she said. 

The final product was a labor of love, reviewed by four editors before its publication on June 28, 2025, and released on July 1. Emily noticed her own growth throughout the process. “Over time, I could see my artistic growth as I completed page after page,” she noted. “My art has gotten so much better as a result of this project. This opportunity opened my eyes to the illustration process.” 

Clifford was excited to see the final product. “Emily took on a project with an impressive scope and saw it through to successful completion, while exceeding the expectations of the writer and publisher,” she said. “The experience gained working with a client and publishing house as a high school sophomore was invaluable, a unique opportunity that I believe made a lasting impression.”

“The demands and deadline did not let up; her commitment to this assignment was unflappable,” Clifford continued. “She was a professional in all aspects of this project, and I look forward to celebrating her accomplishment at the book signing on campus. She is a published illustrator!”

Crews was impressed by Simpson’s work and dedication. “Both the author and I loved everything about Emily’s art,” Crews said. “So many of our [Bell Asteri] books use digital art, which I also love, but Emily did all of the art by hand. It was the perfect fit for this book because we wanted it to look like someone sat down and drew the pictures the old-fashioned way.”

The book has had a global reach, with sales in the U.S., Canada and France, and copies donated to hospitals around the country, including Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. Simpson’s illustrations were also adapted into a coloring and activity book for children in hospitals.

As a result of Simpson’s work, Bell Asteri offered her a contract to write and illustrate a book of her own under their second imprint, Ashland Ink, which focuses on stories of hope and encouragement outside the childhood cancer community. While she considers writing and illustrating a book for her Senior Capstone project, Simpson is immersed in her junior year and still discovering herself. She remains passionate about art and is contemplating a future in education or architecture.