Kids Comics Pitchfest 2025 Showcase

Jan Jan's Magnificent Snow Castle

Jan Jan is not the kind of girl who lets snow melt. She loves her magnificent snow castle and her special snowball friend, just the way they are. But when spring threatens to melt them away, Jan Jan fights back. She seals them in a winter bubble, patches every drip with bandaids and bolts, and holds on even as spring flowers bloom around her. But no matter how hard she tries, it all changes anyway— in a way she never expects.

Jan Jan confronts change like in The Snow Thief (written by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater) and experiences bittersweet loss like in A Little Like Magic (by Sarah Kurpiel).

This whimsical tale encourages kids to embrace change with curiosity. They'll discover that after loss, magic still surrounds them.

My Why:

I was a nostalgic kid, grieving the end of my ice cream bar, holding my popsicle stick long after the words smeared away. I had a crisis turning ten because I’d never be nine again. I know how hard it is to let go of what we’ve lost and how yearning for the past can drive us mad.

JAN JAN’S MAGNIFICENT SNOW CASTLE is a whimsical allegory for the loss of my mother in January 2023. Jan Jan losing her castle is me losing my childhood home. Jan Jan losing her book nook is me losing my mom’s presence. But like Jan Jan, I realized that after loss, there’s more magic to be found, if you free yourself to see it.