Anne Johnson of Wayzata presents some of the fruits of her artistic efforts. Photos: Anne Johnson
Wayzata illustrator draws the boundary between fact and fiction.
It was a beautiful summer evening Up North at their family cabin. Wayzata’s Anne Johnson and her dear friend and aunt, Stacy Snyder, were sitting outside, gazing across the water, reminiscing and cherishing their familial friendship, which has grown deeper throughout the years.
That summer was special for other reasons. Snyder had rescued a miniature horse, Sugar, who formed a unique friendship with Charger, a mastiff-boxer mix that Snyder also rescued. Together, these beautiful animals spent time in Sugar’s paddock in southern California, walking on a double leash through town and Charger grabbing hold of Sugar’s lead, walking her around the yard.
As Snyder and Johnson spent time at the lake together that year, an idea began to germinate. The women pondered: Wouldn’t it be fun to write a book based on friendship, trust, honesty, caring, loyalty and adventure? As it turned out, Snyder, who has a degree in special education, already had a story developing in her mind, and all she needed was an illustrator. Enter Johnson, who has a master’s degree in medical illustration, with a decidedly creative side and a love for animals. “The storyline was based on what I was seeing with these beautiful animals,” Snyder says, noting she knew it would be an ideal project for the duo.
The best of pals, Sugar, a miniature horse, and Charger, a mastiff-boxer mix, enjoy some outdoor time.
Those ideas grew, and The Sugar Books: A Trilogy of Tails was born in 2016. As Johnson embarked upon illustrating the first book in the series, it became even more obvious that there is a significant difference between illustrating medical content and children’s books. “Medical illustration is more of a challenge because it involves sticking to a budget, pleasing the client and being knowledgeable about the subject matter with the books,” she says. “The Sugar books [were] more about getting lost in the creativity, not being limited to working a certain number of hours or having to study the subject matter. Creative artwork has no time limit. You just have a feeling when it’s done, no matter how long it takes.”
The first book in the series, My Name is Sugar, was published in 2018 and was followed by The Sugar Shack and Sugar’s Journey Home. And there might be more to come. Johnson and Snyder are planning additional books with familiar characters making comebacks and a newcomer—a dog, named Charlie, making his debut on the pages and, hopefully, in the hearts of young readers.
Find the series at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Additional information is available by emailing anne.wagdesign@gmail.com.
Facebook: The Sugar Books: A Trilogy of Tails
Instagram: @tailof2rescues
