Picture This: Camryn Hartigan ’22

For her senior project at Tabor Academy, Camryn Hartigan realized the lifelong dream of writing and illustrating her own children’s book, When the Sky Lets Go. The book tells the tale of a star that falls from the sky and her journey to find her light on earth and redefine what it means to shine.

 

Camryn’s love for reading was kindled in her early years at Fay, where she vividly recalls feeling caught between two irresistible pulls: the thrill of discovering new reads on the Primary Library shelves and the comfort of returning to beloved favorites again and again. The impact of those early reading experiences, where words and illustrations worked in tandem to convey meaningful messages, stayed with her. “I was inspired to create a picture book not only because I love to paint, but because I learned firsthand that for children, images have power.”

 

Camryn’s approach to her work was inspired by her favorite picture book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. Like Sendak, she chose not to water down her writing or illustrations for a younger audience, believing—as Sendak’s work had made her feel—that younger readers deserved to be treated with more respect. “I wanted to emulate the implicit message of Sendak’s work: you can handle this.”

 

Next year, Camryn will attend Colby College in Waterville, Maine, where she plans to study Literature and the Environment, a major that examines the impact of writing on combating climate change. And there may be more books in Camryn’s future. “I hope to become a writer in some capacity in my future, but I am also excited to pursue my passion for environmental science.”