Geodes® —
Geodes are Great Minds’ K to 3 decodables books. that not only provide information-rich content, but also support phonics practice. They are designed to be highly readable for readers of all ages.
During my time as a designer at Great Minds, I had the honor of working on three (3) Geodes Level 3 books: The Golden Record, Stitching Stories, and Dive Day. I learned so much just by being part of this project, such as creating bookmaps, providing art direction, making supporting graphics, and designing the layouts of the books. Overall, I had such a fun and fulfilling time working on these titles, from start to finish.
Creative Director: Whitney Lyle
Associate Creative Director: Julia Dantchev
Designer: Amy Ng
The Golden Record
Author: Emily Goodson
Illustrator: Nicolás Aznárez
The Golden Record recounts the story of how the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 and the Voyager Golden Record came to be. It covers the conception to finalization, including what has been recorded on the actual record itself.
As of 2025, the Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from Earth (both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are in interstellar space).
Stitching Stories
Author: Sheelue Yang
Illustrator: Gina Rosas Moncada
Stitching Stories tells the tale of Kou, a young Hmong girl, who lives in Minnesota. It explores the history and cultural importance behind Hmong story cloths. With the assistance of her grandmother, Kou learns more about her ancestors’ history, their lives and adversities they’ve experienced, through her family’s own story cloth.
Paj ntaub, also known as “flower cloths”, are an integral part of Hmong culture and has been for centuries. Those who have worked on these textiles incorporate specific symbols to indicate a life event (i.e. double snail shells for marriage) and/or to incorporate protective elements.
Dive Day
Author: Linda Washington
Illustrator: Anastasia Williams
Dive Day depicts a day in the life for Ok-sun, a haenyeo from the Jeju province of South Korea. It follows the trials and tribulations of a day at sea and the experiences she shares with her fellow female divers.
Haenyeo are female divers from South Korea, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of sea life from the ocean. Such sea life includes, but is not limited to: abalone, conch, sea urchin, and seaweed.
As of 2016, haenyeo have been inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List.