Cover:
The majestic carrot castle in all it’s glory. Possibly Wanda’s back in the foreground looking ahead at the castle with small towns-rabbits scattered around the castle looking back at her.
Page 1
Blank
Page 2
Dedication Page (Dedication to be written later)
Very simple. If there is an illustration maybe just a quick black and white sketch, maybe a rabbit’s ears poking out from a hole or from the bottom of the page
Page 3
Wanda loved to wander.
Every day when she got home from school, she happily wandered out the front door.
Wanda flying out of the front door of her house, a modest little Craftsman-style house. Her book bag has been tossed on the front porch, math textbooks and homework spilling out. A ginger cat peers out of the front window. Seussian plants in the front yard.
Page 4-5 Spread
Across the yard, down the street, through the park, into the fields and forests around her home.
Wide view of Wanda’s house, yard, sidewalk leading to the park, the fields and forest beyond. Wanda skipping gleefully along the path, braids flowing in the wind (?)
Page 6-7 Spread
She learned many things while wandering…
A crew of moles taught her about civil engineering.
A cat trained her in stealth and acrobatics.
She learned the finer points of politics from a murder of crows.
Spread split into “bubbles,” each containing a little story described above. Moles in hardhats with blueprints around a mound of dirt, explaining things to a very interested Wanda. A black cat dressed in a ninja outfit, paws crossed behind its back, observing Wanda as she crouches in a ninja pose. A large group of crows arranged on the branches of some trees, in rows like members of parliament, two crows on a lower branch in front of lecterns, debating, Wanda sitting on the sidelines with a notebook, taking notes.
Page 7
But she was always home by sundown.
Wanda ducking inside her house as the sun sets, the streetlight just flickering on. evening time. walking up to front door of house with big red sun going down behind trees behind house.
Page 8
One day she wandered farther than ever before—across the yard, down the street, through the park, and into the forest.
day time. Into the dark forest. In a way that makes the entrance of the forest especially inviting to her. Somewhat of a doorway. Look at doorways and entrances in the movie Labrynth for inspiration.
Page 9
She leapt over a creek, ducked under a branch, and scrambled through thick brambles.
She entered a land of low rolling hills and saw something she had never seen in all her wanderings.
Montage style, several boxes, maybe comic style, showing her adventure through the forest
Page 10
A gigantic carrot.
But not just any carrot. It was carved into a majestic tower with windows and balconies and battlements. It was a carrot castle.
Close up of the side of Wanda’s face looking out to the hills. Really only showing the small silhouette of the carrot castle atop the hill with a clear trail that corkscrew winds around the hill to the bottom of the valley that may looks desolate and empty.. In ruin maybe?
Page 11
The carrot castle was surrounded by tired-looking rabbits that weren’t nearly as bouncy and happy as rabbits should be.
Closeup of the castle, surrounded by scruffy looking rabbits, skinny and sad. The castle that Wanda is looking at. With several skinny “guard looking” rabbits slouched and totally unaware of Wanda. Droopy eyed.
Page 12
Wanda walked a winding path to the castle and approached a white rabbit slumped over a grassy mound. “Rabbit, what’s wrong?” she asked.
“I’m so glad you’re here!” he said. “We need your help!” The rabbit took Wanda’s hand and led her through the castle doors.
Split panel. Wanda bent over one of the gaunt rabbits, looking concerned, then an illustration of the rabbit rushing her up the spiral staircase into the castle. Being that this rabbit will be featured in several panels, think about giving this particular rabbit a distinguishing feature that helps him/her to stand out from other rabbits. Possible a spot or two.
Page 13-14 Spread
“A sorcerer came and asked to see the oldest rabbits in our village. He promised great riches, then cast a spell. All the vegetables in our gardens disappeared and this carrot grew. The old rabbits started eating it and they carved out this castle. When they were done, it turned to stone and they fell asleep on these thrones! And now we’re starving!”
“Can you wake them up and break the spell?” the rabbit asked.
Another montage (or comic-style) spread showing the wizard talking to two older-looking rabbits. Maybe the wizard looks like the Monopoly man? Or Ayn Rand? Totally Ayn Rand. Really evil looking. She/He casts a spell, the giant carrot grows, and the rabbits turn into zombies and chomp away… Panel ends with the giant castle.
Q: should it be alluded to here that these rabbits were not only given riches but also turned into king and queen? Just curious because the next page refers to the old male rabbit as the “king” and this page only refers to them as old.
Page 15
Wanda nodded. “I’ll do everything I can,” she said.
She poked the king rabbit in his belly. He snored even louder.
She clapped her hands over the rabbits’ floppy ears.
They did not stir.
Small montage of Wanda doing the stuff described. 🙂
Page 16
Wanda and the rabbits collected all the pots and pans and spoons and ladles in the village. They clanged and banged and shouted and stomped.
Still, the two old rabbits did not stir.
“Maybe we need a rest,” Wanda said.
A fun scene of all the rabbits marching around making a racket with pots and pans and other random things. Maybe some shovels and garden tools, since rabbits had gardens.
Page17
They sat in the sun and gazed up at the carrot castle.
“The spell will never be broken,” the rabbits sighed.
“Don’t worry, little rabbit,” said Wanda. She scratched the rabbit behind his floppy ear. He grinned and thumped his leg.
Wanda had an idea.
Wanda and a rabbit sitting at the base of the castle, her chin in her hand, thinking, tired looking. She’s reaching over and scratching behind the rabbit’s ear, he’s grinning and his leg is thumping.
Page 18
Wanda and the rabbits sat in a circle around the castle. “Commence scratching!” she cried. She scratched a rabbit’s ear, who scratched the next rabbit’s ear…
Wanda and the rabbits are sitting in a circle around the carrot castle, scratching behind ears, legs thumping, etc. Cracks are forming in the castle, little bits falling off.
Page 19-20 Spread
The ground quivered and quaked as the rabbits thumped. A crack appeared in the castle wall. Bits and pieces fell over Wanda and the rabbits. The castle crumbled into a heap.
The two fat old rabbits sat in the heap, eyes wide. “What have we done?” they cried.
A huge pile of the carrot castle, the fat rabbits sitting on the top, looking stunned. Wanda and the rabbits covered in bits of carrot.
Page 21
The old rabbits cast aside their crowns. They vowed to never seek riches and power again and to always help the other rabbits in the village.
The old rabbits, their broken crowns on the ground, holding out pieces of the carrot castle for the other rabbits to eat.
Page 22
The spell was broken and the village rabbits feasted on the giant carrot. They danced and laughed and sang. “Hooray Wanda!” they cried.
Dancing and singing and eating!
Page 22
The sun dipped below the tall trees of the forest. “I must be home by sunset!” she said. She hugged the little white rabbit. “Good luck, my friend! I’ll come back one day.”
Beautiful shot of the sun setting behind the hills, Wanda hugging the rabbit.
Page 22
Wanda rushed up path, scrambled through thick brambles, under the low branch, over the creek, through the park, across the front yard, through the front door. Just in time for sunset.
Wide view of the forest, the path, the park, the sidewalk, wanda rushing back into her house. The sun setting, etc.
Page 23-24 Spread
The end.
Scene of Wanda eating dinner with her parents inside the house? Perhaps a white rabbit in a cage behind them, eating some carrots?