Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time, in a time of magic and everyday whimsy, there lived a beautiful spirit. A spirit of the forest, mountains, and the sea.

She lived in a city by the blue sea. She collected stones and touched them with gentle hands. They bloomed.

But though she loved the the fast heartbeat of the city by the sea, and the people in it, she longed to visit the high pine forest of the mountains. A place where her spirit could be peaceful and immersed in green.

In the mountains, she saw the tiny spirits of the forest. They dwelled in fallen branches and broken-off twigs.

She collected the dear spirits and brought them home to the city by the blue sea, home to her studio. And there the spirits whispered stories to each other about their lives in the forest and sang their forest songs. Nanou listened. And with a little tender work from Nanou's hands, some yarn and other natural ingredients, the spirits came to life. They became the Critters.

Some of these Critters went on journeys to faroff lands, where they had adventures of their own . . . .