KCU Pitchfest Showcase 2025 (Top 50)

Maple

In this early graphic novel series, Maple is a little kid with a big imagination. One day they might imagine they are a brave knight and the next, a beautiful mer-cat, or an alien, a superhero, an artist, a dinosaur… At home and at school, Maple uses their creativity to problem-solve, make a boring day more interesting, help friends get along, cope with a stressful situation, and so much more.

Jinglebunny, the beloved toy mascot of Ms Donner’s class, has gone missing! Did someone steal him? Ms Donner tries to keep the class in order, but without Jinglebunny’s bells it‘s turmoil. It’s up to Maple and their friends Caleb and Robyn to prove Maple’s innocence by getting to the bottom of this case with some good old-fashioned detective work!

My Why:

As a shy kid and the youngest in a big, blended family, I often used my daydreams, imagination, and later drawing and comics as an escape. When I eventually came out as transgender and nonbinary, my art and imagination were always there for me to dream up different futures and fantasies when I couldn’t always be myself. Maple’s story is one where I imagine every kid CAN fully be themselves, in all their offbeat, daydreaming, and gender-bending ways.