Laura Moyer, an artist from nearby Lancaster County, designed this year’s Amazon Kids Gift Book, marking the retailer’s first collaboration with an out-of-house illustrator, writes Julia Shipley for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Moyer decked the Share the Joy catalog, received by millions of Americans in October, in a “forest friends” theme. 

The toy book features 95 pages selling over 700 toys, including everything from Godzilla action figures to Pets Alive Mama Duck Surprise. Moyer’s lively rendering of Fox, Bear, Raccoon, Mouse, and Owl, the catalog’s longstanding characters, are interspersed throughout the pages. 

Moyer’s creatures are simple and charming, including a fox with his ears akimbo and a raccoon with workman gloves, among others. 

“Her work is tactile, special, more engaging than [a virtual catalog or] things going by on a screen,” said Caleb Kozlowski, a creative director at Hybrid Design, the agency that selected Moyer among thousands of strong candidates for the job. 

Kozlowski said he was drawn to Moyer’s clean, geometric style, which has been paired with a “lively, optimistic” color palette that evoked the playful spirit of legendary Disney animator Mary Blair. 

Read more about Laura Moyer creating this year’s Amazon Kids Gift Book in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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