“Was it Perseus that slayed Medusa?” Courtney Dicmas, children’s book illustrator and author, ponders. “Perseus had the shield so he could look at Medusa without turning to stone,” she explains. “That’s what a book does. You can look at an experience whether it’s difficult, or scary, or lonely, and have that experience without having to actually go through it.”

Originally from Lake Geneva, Dicmas has a voracious appetite for both adventures and literature. She trained as a figure painter at Macalester College in St. Paul, MN, and got her Masters in Illustration at the Cambridge School of Art in the U.K. Later, she taught English in South Korea for three years.

Reflecting on her affinity for children’s books, Dicmas explains: “I’ve always been a painter. My grandfather was a painter; it’s been in my family!”

“I studied art and I love to tell stories. My mother’s a librarian, so I kind of grew up within these fortresses of books as a kid, you know, making tents with flashlights under the sheets,” she laughs appreciatively.

Dicmas, now residing in Madison, was recently awarded the Silver in the Children’s Picture Book U7 category of the Independent Publishers Book Awards of 2015 for her book, “The Great Googly Moogly”.

“This is my second book that has been recognized and it’s the Independent Publisher of the Year Awards.” Her first book was ‘Harold Finds a Voice,’ which, according to her website, “was shortlisted in the UK for the 2014 Waterstones Book Prize.”

As Dicmas puts it: “[The Independent Publisher Book Awards] happen every year for publishers that sort of work to publish books that maybe have either challenging content or nourishing philosophies. It’s about stories that… are a little more soulful.”

Soulful is certainly one of many effervescent adjectives that comes to mind when talking to Dicmas, who is both as animated and philosophical as the characters in her books. As a student, teacher and illustrator, she has traveled to places like Bali, Indonesia, South Korea, Iraq, Brazil, Thailand and England. Her travels, and the people she meets along the way, are all interwoven with her books. This instills the stories with a comfortable relatability that Dicmas hopes will help her young readers.

“I try to infuse the book with as many emotions as possible, so that when the young readers are looking at the pictures – because that’s how kids read, before they can read the text – they read the images and they see all these subplots happening here and they see the worry, the anxiety. They see the excitement, you know? And they feel all those feelings, even though they don’t have a vocabulary for it.” Putting herself in the light-up, Velcroed shoes of her young readers, Dicmas explains the motive behind her work. “They still feel it. That’s what I want to get across in the pages… to give kids a vocabulary for their inner worlds. Just because they can’t express it, doesn’t mean they don’t feel it.”

That is what many of Dicmas’ books capture, including her most recent book with Penguin Random House, “Home Tweet Home”.

“It’s about these two little birds that are traveling around looking for a place to live. Everywhere they go [starts off feeling] fabulous and soft and then they realize that it’s not, you know, and then they try something else.” She continues with a sparkle in her eye and gleefully confesses: “This is kind of shamelessly autobiographical. But I think that’s where a lot of good stories come from, you know?”

It’s certainly a story many people – child, teen or adult – can relate to.

Amazon reviewers of Dicmas’ work appreciate how Dicmas’ work speaks to the children and parents reading them. One reviewer, L.M. Keefer, wrote “Our children’s librarian recommended this book and I can see why it’s a child-pleaser. It’s hard to find a picture book with a fun plot and equally appealing illustrations but this book combines both. Vibrant and colorful illustrations accompany a story of Harold the Parrot who wants to find his voice.”

Her whimsical and focused devotion for her career couldn’t be any more apparent. “It’s spectacularly fun! Like, it’s actually a job to draw in your pajamas. It’s a real job! I can’t believe that. Every time I get a commission or contract and I just think, I can’t believe this is a real job. I can just draw lemurs all day long. It’s just super fun.”

Fortunately for Madison College, Dicmas has enough sparkles to share. She recently joined the faculty as an instructor for Graphic Design and Illustration Program. When asked about her new position, Dicmas revealed her love for teaching at Madison College, “I get to kind of, I don’t know… infuse my sparkles into my students! I really – I love what I do. I just want to hold open the door for others to do that. So, that’s why I’m here.”