"Where the Crawdads Sing" (published in Italy as La ragazza della palude) is a novel by Delia Owens that I chose to reinterpret through a new illustrated cover.
Although often considered a coming-of-age novel, Where the Crawdads Sing is much more than that—it’s a mystery, a love story, but above all, a tale of independence and deep connection with nature. The protagonist, Kya, grows up in the wild embrace of the marsh, which becomes her mother, her teacher, and her home.
In this illustration, I wanted to incorporate some of the book’s most symbolic elements: the heron, the fireflies, the ferns where Kya used to hide, and the waters of the lagoon she navigated in her little boat.
I chose a twilight atmosphere, suspended between romance and solitude, to reflect the novel’s underlying duality.
I chose a twilight atmosphere, suspended between romance and solitude, to reflect the novel’s underlying duality.
Kya is depicted through her silhouette, which is nothing more than a cutout of the marsh itself—because she is the marsh, in its strength and its mystery, in its silent teachings and its raw poetry.
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BOOK ILLUSTRATION, NATURE ILLUSTRATION, 2025
