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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 13/10/2026

Hi #PortfolioDay! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I've been updating my portfolio with classic book covers and middle grade interior illustrations. I'm available for #middlegrade #earlyreader illustration projects. 🖥️ www.alpacasbookshelf.com ✉️alina@alpacasbookshelf.com

A collection of 4 illustrations.

Top left: This is a mock cover intended for middle grade for the short story The Book of Beasts, from The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit. A young king is incredulous to discover that by opening The Book of Beasts to the page that described dragons a dragon actually appeared and is now flying overhead.
Top right: This is a mock cover intended for middle grade for the The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. Three kids look on towards a large castle in the distance nestled between some rocks, from a terrace that they just got to by following a path created by cypress trees. To the right of the castle there is a waterfall. The kids are awed by the sight of the castle. At one of the castle's windows we also see a dark haired figure.
Bottom left: "This is an illustration intended for middle grade, in black and white.
A young detective is investigating the source of the clue she found earlier, a ripped label with the letters ""loons""; could it be balloons?She questions the boy she sees with some balloons to try to find out what they are for and why her father bought them without telling her."
Bottom right: "This is an illustration intended for middle grade, in black and white.
A young detective is investigating the source of the clue she found earlier, a ripped label with the letters ""loons""; could it be balloons? She follows the boy she sees carrying balloons to try to find out what they are for and why her father bought them without telling her."

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I've been updating my portfolio with classic book covers. I'm available for #middlegrade #picturebooks #earlyreader illustration projects. Seeking representation. www.alpacasbookshelf.com

This is a mock cover intended for middle grade for the The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit. Three kids look on towards a large castle in the distance nestled between some rocks, from a terrace that they just got to by following a path created by cypress trees. To the right of the castle there is a waterfall. The kids are awed by the sight of the castle. At one of the castle's windows we also see a dark haired figure.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Hey artists, share something! Something! 🤎 #kidlitart

This is a cover intended for middle grade.
A young detective has a confident expression as she considers the clues that she found. In the background we see Victorian London where a boy with a balloon is going towards a house. We also see a carriage and horse in the background.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

This is a mock cover intended for middle grade for the short story The Book of Beasts, from The Book of Dragons by Edith Nesbit. A young king is incredulous to discover that by opening The Book of Beasts to the page that described dragons a dragon actually appeared and is now flying overhead.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

This is a cover intended for middle grade for the Nancy Drew series, for the first book The Secret of the Old Clock. Nancy finds herself in a pickle when she finds the people that stole all the furniture including the old clock that she is after. The illustration is set at night with Nancy (a young blond girl) hiding behind a tree looking out to the van that the robbers are using.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

QRP with your most popular piece on Bsky. For me it's this one 🐿️ #kidlitart

This is a two page spread from Where the Real Berries Grow dummy. On the left side of the two page spread we see Hazel, a red squirrel, who is looking around for her friends. She is standing in a forest in the autumn surrounded by acorns. In the distance we see her friend, Fern, a chipmunk running towards her. On the right side of the page we see Hazel and Fern talking, though Fern is out of breath from all the running.

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Reposted by Alina Manolache

Charlene Chua @charlenedraws.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

How bout a #PortfolioDay artshare for folks who work on 🧒 children / family-friendly stuff? - Drop your Portfolioday post links below 👇 - Repost this for reach! - Like & Repost some other folks in the thread! No Eh Aye nonsense, obviously #kidlit #illustration #kidlitart #artshare

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Thanks for the Post Charlene! bsky.app/profile/alpa...

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Hi #PortfolioDay ! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I've been updating my portfolio with classic book covers and middle grade interior illustrations. I'm available for #middlegrade #earlyreader illustration projects. 🖥️ alpacasbookshelf.com ✉️ alina@alpacasbookshelf.com

This is a collage of four illustrations on the top side two covers and on the bottom two black and white illustrations for middle grade.

First illustration top right: This is a cover intended for middle grade for the Nancy Drew series, for the first book The Secret of the Old Clock. Nancy finds herself in a pickle when she finds the people that stole all the furniture including the old clock that she is after. The illustration is set at night with Nancy (a young blond girl) hiding behind a tree looking out to the van that the robbers are using.

Second illustration top right: This is a cover intended for middle grade for the The Hardy Boys first book The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon. The two brothers are climbing a water tower in search of the stolen treasure. In the background the manor house can be seen with someone looking up towards them.

Third illustration bottom left: "This is an illustration intended for middle grade, in black and white.
A young girl finds an empty package where the label is partially ripped off. She is curious about what was in the box so she uses a magnifying glass to look more closely at the label to try and figure out what was in the box. "

Fourth illustration, bottom right: "This is an illustration intended for middle grade, in black and white.
The detective (a young girl) finally finds what she was looking for, after following the trail of clues, a birthday party for herself! The scene shows the detective looking through the door at her friends who are a bit surprised to find her there so early!"

All illustrations are create by Alina Manolache.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

This is a cover intended for middle grade for the The Hardy Boys first book The Tower Treasure by Franklin W. Dixon. The two brothers are climbing a water tower in search of the stolen treasure. In the background the manor house can be seen with someone looking up towards them.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

For sure, I used to do it for hours and hours! 😄

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I really loved jumping off moving swings into a pile of leaves as a kid! I'm seeking new #kidlit illustration projects like #boardbooks #picturebooks #earlyreader #middlegrade www.alpacasbookshelf.com/illustration

Me as a kid is intended for chapter books. An illustration of myself when I was a child. It shows a girl in overalls and a t-shirt holding a stick. She has mud splatters on her face and clothes and she's standing next to her dog.
An illustration intended for a cover for chapter books. The illustration shows myself as a child jumping from a swing into a pile of leaves. It's autumn and that was my favorite activity.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator. This illustration is part of a book dummy that's available on request. I'm seeking new #kidlit illustration projects like #boardbooks #picturebooks #earlyreader #mg. Portfolio: www.alpacasbookshelf.com/illustration

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

Hey artists, if you see this, post a dog 🐾

An illustration of a kid playing pretend with his dragon-dog.
The mare beat her hoof on the flagstones as the prince leaned forward in the saddle. "Move aside furry dragon! The princess shall no longer be your captive"
The dragon bellowed, "You'll not be taking her away young prince! Not until this good boy gets some belly rubs."

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Hi #PortfolioDay! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I enjoy creating narrative illustrations with a bit of humor sprinkled in. I'm looking for new #kidlit illustration projects. 🖥️ www.alpacasbookshelf.com ✉️alina@alpacasbookshelf.com #kidlitart #picturebooks #earlyreader

A collage of illustrations.
On the left side there is an illustration: A little girl is surprised as she is given a snowdrop flower by her pink stuffed rabbit. They are outside sitting on a blanket on the ground.

on the right side, top illustration: This is a two page spread from Where the Real Berries Grow dummy. On the left side of the two page spread we see Hazel, a red squirrel, who is looking around for her friends. She is standing in a forest in the autumn surrounded by acorns. In the distance we see her friend, Fern, a chipmunk running towards her. On the right side of the page we see Hazel and Fern talking, though Fern is out of breath from all the running.

right side, middle illustration: This is a two page spread from Where the Real Berries Grow dummy. Hazel, a red squirrel and Fern, a chipmunk, are staring out at a new world they discovered, the dream world. There is a pink moon a oddly shaped trees. They also see a giant acorn in the distance.

right side bottom illustration: This is a two page spread from Where the Real Berries Grow. We see Hazel, a red squirrel, Fern, a chipmunk and Bramble, a raccoon all sitting on the back of a flying pig, flying in the air. They all show different emotions, Hazel is terrified while Fern is enjoying the ride and Bramble is determined.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

This is such a dynamic composition, love it!

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

The characters and costumes look amazing! They work really well with the color palette too! ❤️

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 31/03/2026

David Suchet is Monsieur Hercule Poirot! I was so surprised when I saw him in Going Postal, an adaptation after Terry Pratchett's novel, but he was so good in that too!

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 07/03/2026

Snowdrops are just so lovely and delicate aren't they? ❤️

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 05/03/2026

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator. Happy spring everyone! I'm seeking new #kidlit illustration projects like #boardbooks #picturebooks #earlyreader. www.alpacasbookshelf.com/illustration

A little girl is surprised as she is given a snowdrop flower by her pink stuffed rabbit. They are outside sitting on a blanket on the ground.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrators and I enjoy creating narrative illustrations with a lot of color. I'm seeking new #kidlit illustration projects like #boardbooks #picturebooks #earlyreader. www.alpacasbookshelf.com/illustration #kidlitart

A little girl and her dog are practicing their ballet dance moves.

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Reposted by Alina Manolache

Michael Dashow @mdashow.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Because it's my birthday, you have to repost my art. 🎂 (I don't make the rules, that's just the way it is on Bluesky!) #kidLitArt #kidLit #illustration #art #birthday

A grey rabbit in a pretty blue polka-dot dress with a carrot-patterned apron over it holds up a two-tiered carrot cake that she has just baked and frosted. The cake holds a single lit candle. This was drawn as a Draw This in Your Style challenge: The original character design was by Anastasiia Panchenko (@lapin.siia on IG)

A sunny summer scene at a tiny tea table outside a rustic cottage surrounded by bushes and trees. A young witch, surrounded by frogs and wearing purple robes and a witch's hat, talks animatedly to an ordinary looking boy. They're both holding teacups but he's looking VERY nervously at his, and also at the frog on the table.
The book title reads "The Tea Witch's Retreat" with the author's name "Christina Warwick."

Luigi (from the Mario Bros games) in a rockabilly style. He's got a black and green bowling shirt in with an "L" embroidered on his chest, rolled-cuff jeans and Converse All-Stars. He's also got a large pompadour, sideburns, and lots of Mario-related tattoos. He's holding a large plumber's wrench.

In a dark nighttime hallway with huge arched windows, a girl and a werewolf (also a girl) are sneaking around. Both are wearing school uniforms, although the werewolf's has ripped a bit from her transformation. She has just knocked over a small table and broken a vase and the girl is shushing her. Through one of the large windows, we see more school buildings and a full moon.
The book cover title is "Boarding School Werewolf" by Jo Barnett. At the top of the cover, it says "School can be a transformative experience."

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 13/01/2026

Hi #PortfolioDay! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and I enjoy creating narrative illustrations with a bit of humor sprinkled in. I'm looking for new illustration projects. 🖥️ www.alpacasbookshelf.com ✉️alina@alpacasbookshelf.com #kidlitart #picturebooks #earlyreaders #kidlit

A collage of four images:
top left: The detective (a young girl) finally finds what she was looking for, after following the trail of clues, a birthday party for herself! The scene shows the detective looking through the door at her friends who are a bit surprised to find her there so early!

top right: an illustration of a rescue center for marine life in the background while the foreground has a group of three women who are helping a turtle get back into the water.

bottom left: A little girl and her dog are practicing their ballet dance moves.

bottom right: A druid is enjoying the smell of lilac. An image of a girl with leaves and flowers in her hair, branches coming out above her ears, with a background of a bright sun, leaning towards a lilac flower.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

an illustration of a rescue center for marine life in the background while the foreground has a group of three women who are helping a turtle get back into the water.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Hi, this sounds like an awesome project! I love fantasy but I've never done an illustration that has humans using magic which is weird and something I'll fix in the future. Thank you for the idea! Here are a few illustrations with magic and some with humans. Thank you! www.alpacasbookshelf.com

Potions class at the Squirrel Wizarding School is interrupted when a student's incantation goes awry, transforming him into a sheep.

A comical scene unfolds on a tropical beach, where a rabbit wizard is levitating an exceptionally agile pika to the top of an ancient temple, so that they can claim the enormous emerald sitting above the entrance. Although triumph is within reach, the statues are coming to life around them.

In kindergarten Anna discovered she doesn't need her teddy bear after all. The room is filled with children listening attentively to their teacher who reads them a story.

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Reposted by Alina Manolache

Brian LaRossa @brianlarossa.com · 07/01/2026

Hey illustrators/agents! I’m a #kidlit art director starting work on a new picture book—we’re looking for: expressive, commercial, human characters; fantasy; magic; AND Mahjong! The tiles! The drama! Please respond w/ samples + folio link. Please no emails/DMs. 💙❤️ #artcommissions

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Reposted by Alina Manolache

Charlene Chua @charlenedraws.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I need some #KidLitArt pals to please go do this survey. It's not only concept artists/ comic book artists affected, but children's illustrators are often left out studies/convos involving this.

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Lovely illustration! I know it's not the point of the illustration but that tree looks gorgeous!

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

Super happy to say that my "Sandcastle Rescue Center" illustration is included in the Better Together issue of @littlethoughtspress.com! The full issue has a ton of inspiring art ❤️ If anyone is interested in the issue here is the link: littlethoughtspress.gumroad.com/l/ltpmag12 #kidlitart

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Such an adorable expression on the little dog! Love it!

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 04/12/2025

Happy #kidlitartpostcard day! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrators. I enjoy creating narrative illustrations with lots of color and a bit of humor. I'm seeking new #kidlit illustration projects like #boardbooks #picturebooks #earlyreader.

Mister and Misses Claus are flying on their magical sleigh bringing children presents for Christmas. Misses Claus is reading the map looking where to go next while Santa Clause is sending a few gifts down the chimney."

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Alina Manolache @alpacasbookshelf.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Hi #PortfolioDay! I'm Alina, a Romanian children's book illustrator and lately I've been fascinated by creating images centered around mystery and humor. I'm looking for new illustration projects. 🖥️ www.alpacasbookshelf.com ✉️alina@alpacasbookshelf.com #kidlitart #picturebooks #mg #kidlit

A collage of images. First illustration has a young girl using a magnifying glass to look at the label on a package that she found. We see that the label is ripped and the word remaining on it is "loons".

The second illustration shows the same girl from the first illustration interviewing a young boy who is holding a balloon. We then see in the same illustration, that the girl followed the boy to a house.

The third illustration shows the same girl as the first two illustrations walking into a room where more children are holding up balloons and adding candles to a cake. They have thrown a surprised birthday party for our girl protagonist and she followed the clues to find the party.

The last illustration shows a young boy holding a candle walking towards his mother who's putting a pumpkin in the window. The boy is surprised to see his dog as he reaches the high table and tries to pull down another carved pumpkin.

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