BRANTFORD, Ontario - s4story -- Author and illustrator George Neeb's latest picture book, Hot Cocoa and Courage, tells the story of a father and son who take a winter trip to their cabin only to face a surprise winter storm. They must use their problem-solving skills to survive. The story is a continuation of Neeb's earlier book, Building Courage (2024), based on his personal adventures, building a cabin with his young sons in the wilds of Ontario.

Neeb illustrated both books using mixed media. "I wanted to capture the beauty of Ontario's cottage country, so I used photographs taken at my cabin as the backgrounds. I built a wooden model for the cabin and used paper cutouts for the characters." Neeb says his readers enjoy learning how to replicate his techniques, which he explains on his website https://GeorgeNeeb.ca.

Neeb is best known for his historical picture books, most notably Pharaoh's Arrow (2017) about a young girl's quest to meet the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt. Neeb, a retired schoolteacher, started writing and illustrating books after seeing a need for historical narratives. "There are so many information books about history, but not a lot of historical fiction narratives. I wanted to create books that teachers could use in their classrooms." Neeb enjoys replicating the artistic styles of the cultures he writes about. "For my Egyptian books, I created the look of papyrus. For my ancient China book, Duel With A Dragon (2020), I created the look of silk paintings by dyeing my paper in tea," says Neeb.

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His cabin books are a departure from his usual story telling about history. "These books are much more personal and contemporary. I wanted to share how much fun spending family time at a cabin, or even in the outdoors, can be. I hope I've captured that joy in my latest books," says Neeb.

Neeb's books are available at major retailers or through his website, https://GeorgeNeeb.ca