Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens & Estee Sarsfield
Published by WestWords Children’s
But Percival had rules.
He couldn’t let just anyone cross the bridge.
Only certain types were allowed.
If folks were too different,
there would be chaos.
They would squabble.
Tease. Bicker. (Being Indy)
Being Indy by Zoe Gaetjens, illustrated by Estee Sarsfield is a highly impressive 2026 CBCA New Illustrator nominee. It is also a Notable Picture Book.
Congratulations on your outstanding book and its CBCA shortlist award, Estee and Zoe, and thank you for speaking to Joy in Books at Paperbark Words blog.
Zoe: Thank you so much for having us.
Where are you both based and what is your background in books?
Zoe: I’m in the Hills District on Dharug land. I have always loved stories, books and reading so it is no surprise that I am a high school English teacher. As well as being the author of Being Indy I am also the author of Little Angler a lift the flaps board book and Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans a contemporary YA novel.
Estee: I live in the beautiful Blue Mountains, where I moved to from Sydney’s Inner West about 5 years ago. When I was living in Sydney, I spent a few years working for a lifestyle publishing house in a fairly entry level design role I had straight out of uni. I learned so much here about the process of making books, and also did a little bit of illustrating in-house – some lizards for the margins of a gardening book, or a diagram of how to fold a dumpling for a cookbook.
What is the significance of your title, Being Indy, and cover illustration?
Zoe: I choose the name of our main character for a few reasons. Indy is short for both the word independent and also the colour Indigo. With this in mind Being Indy is a call for audiences to choose independence and originality of thought away from negative outside influences. It is also an encouragement not to hide your individuality and to be yourself.
Estee: Being Indy (the title) was suggested and decided on right at the eleventh hour – there were a few different titles in the mix (Percival’s Rules; The Land of Black and White) but “Being Indy” really captures what the book is about and centres our main character and message as Zoe explains above.
We wanted the cover to feel intriguing, bold and captivating while introducing our main character, Indy.
Could you please briefly introduce your major protagonists?
Zoe: First up we are introduced to Percival our antagonist who guards the Mountain. He is worried that his life and community will be interrupted if people who are different from him cross the bridge. We also have Indy, our protagonist, who desperately wants to join the other children on the Mountain despite the fact that she perceives herself as being very different from everyone who is there. Indy is willing to do almost anything to be let across.
What are some difficulties they are facing?
Zoe: Even though it is not explicitly mentioned in the book Percival has dealt with difficult situations in the past. He has felt like an outsider and probably experienced bullying because he looks different. Indy has difficult decisions to face. First, she must decide between remaining true to herself or pretending to be someone she is not to make it onto the Mountain. Secondly, she has to decide whether to maintain the ruse or reveal her true self in order to save something she cares about.
Zoe, your writing and structure in this book is flawless. How would you describe your style and tone?
Zoe: That is very kind. Being Indy is fable like in its style and tone and I really worked hard to pare back the language as far as I could.
Estee, your concept of showing the Mountain as a playground is inspirational. Could you tell us about some of its features and how you’ve integrated them into the story?
Estee: Thank you – it was a very left of field suggestion I made to depict the Mountain as a playground, and I am so glad that everyone was so open to exploring this idea and giving me a lot of creative freedom in playing with this. It brings a sense of fun, imagination and relatability into what is quite a moral and fable-like tale.
I think the playground works really well in meeting the need for the Mountain to be desirable, but also to feel very ordered, structured and controlled. There are some scenes where the bars of the playground almost look like bars of a cage or jail cell. The playground also let me play with hierarchy in an interesting way – you’ll notice that Percival always appears physically higher than Indy and the other children, except towards the end of the book when they start to reveal their colours and Percival loses some of his status.
Zoe, you’ve done this with great skill – where did you leave gaps for Estee to take over the storytelling?
Zoe: I think Estee had to do a lot of heavy lifting in her illustrations, I gave her a difficult job and her work is incredible. I think this story is still quite abstract in the way it presents ideas and themes and Estee’s illustrations work so well to allow the audience to connect with both the narrative and the ideas.
How have you used the bird as a symbol in the story?
Zoe: For me the bird is a symbol of freedom, so in this story Indy’s decision to protect and stand up for her bird is her standing up for her own freedom and desire be herself.
Estee, it’s so helpful that your media is described on the imprint page. Could you explain where (and possibly why) you have used any of the following – mixed media: gouache, wax pastel and coloured pencil?
Estee: I absolutely love working with texture, and I love the look of traditional media reproduced in print – it seems to capture a particular energy and life. I think it was especially useful in the black and white spreads to bring in texture with the wax pastel to give it depth and interest, so the illustrations don’t seem too flat. My process is to paint the illustration in gouache, add details with coloured pencil and go in last with wax pastel to add texture and detail where needed. I also use oil pastel, soft pastel, inks, acrylics and watercolour in parts – a whole playground of materials!
Either or both, which illustration do you think best captures the essence of the story? Why or how?
Zoe: There are so many wonderful illustrations but I particularly love the spread that begins, “But Percival had rules.” I think this shows the clear separation between the real world and the world of the Mountain. I love the way Percival is positioned and the perspective used in this illustration. I also adore the final spread, which I think beautifully presents the reconciliation between Percival and Indy. The colours are glorious and I love the way the playground frames the pair together rather than separating them.
Estee: That’s so interesting to hear, Zoe, as that is probably my least favourite spread! Looking at it now, I don’t think it is so bad, but I painted many versions of it, and found it so frustrating as I could never get it quite right. I still don’t think it is quite there, but I guess there is a point where good enough is enough – especially on a deadline! Originally Percival was the only character from the black and white world, and Indy was not in this scene.
One of my favourite spreads is towards the end, where all the children have shed their black and white disguises and are frolicking joyfully as the two worlds come together – everyone is co-existing in all their differences.
What is a technical difficulty that either of you had to overcome while working on the book?
Zoe: My initial drafts of this book were far too abstract. I think the language was beautifully lyrical however it was not tangible enough for a picture book audience. I had to work on reshaping the plot so the message of the book was still clear but what happens in the story is placed front and centre.
Estee: I think my biggest challenge was needing to present a black and white world as more appealing than the coloured world – which is typically shown as the opposite! I decided to use very high-contrast black & white, rather than a greyscale world, while Indy’s coloured world does lean more towards grey, and is soft and muted. I brought in a lot of black and white patterns – through clothing and the lines of the playground – to give the eye lots to look at. It was so nice to bring these two worlds together towards the end of the book and bring in more vibrancy and richness in colour.
What impact has being a shortlisted CBCA book had on you or the book?
Zoe: Our listing on the CBCA Longlist for Picture Book of the Year was such an honour and the short listing for Estee for the New Illustrator Award is a testament to her beautiful artwork. I am very thankful to awards like these as they have the ability to shine a spotlight on some less commercial books and allow us to get them into the hands of more teachers, librarians and young readers.
Estee: It is so special to be shortlisted for a debut book. The shortlisting means that Being Indy is in more bookshops, schools and libraries. It is so nice to see it out in the world in more and more places and have people resonate with it.
How would you suggest using Being Indy in schools?
Zoe: There are really so many opportunities here. In the high school English context I have used Being Indy to teach theme considering the clear message the book presents. I think it would also be perfect to help introduce visual literacy and to study how the choices artists make add meaning to the text. It would also work well to introduce ideas like assimilation, or even techniques like extended metaphors and symbolism. I think there are also many potential uses in a primary class room. It could make a great book for Harmony Day. West Words have produced some teacher notes so these are well worth a look at.
What do you hope children take from your book?
Zoe: I really hope children will see the importance of inclusion and that just because someone is different to you doesn’t mean you can’t be friends.
Estee: I think Zoe’s message of belonging and acceptance is relatable for everyone. Something I wanted to bring in through the illustrations and visual setting is an overlap between imaginative play and reality. I ask a lot of questions to the reader about what is actually occurring in the playground and which parts are being imagined or exaggerated – and I hope the readers can connect to this idea that imagination can also be very real.
What are you writing or working on now?
Zoe: I’m currently working in the YA space so have begun a new YA contemporary romance novel.
Estee: I have just finished up another picture book with WestWords which will come out in September this year. I’m also having a lot of fun with writing and developing some of my own stories at the moment.
What have you been reading that you would like to recommend?
Zoe: In anticipation for the third book in The Callers middle grade fantasy series by Kiah Thomas I have been reading the second book titled The Hidden Forest.
Estee: I’ve been reading ‘One Week in January’ by Carson Ellis – one of my favourite illustrators, and have just finished the novel ‘Art on Fire’ by Yun Ko-eun, a delightfully surreal critique on the US art world.
How can your readers contact you?
Zoe: Older readers can contact me via my Instagram, @zoegaet or through my email zoegaetjens@gmail.com
Estee: I can be found on Instagram @estee.estee, through my website www.esteesarsfield.com, or estee.sarsfield@gmail.com.
Being Indy at Dirt Lane Press/ WestWords
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