Illustrations of an adventurous baby wombat and its loving mother are the newest additions to the walls of the neonatal intensive care unit at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
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The emotive images were drawn from the book Baby Wombat's Week, written by Jackie French and illustrated by Bruce Whatley.
Mr Whatley said he was humbled to see his work used in such an environment when he visited the hospital on Friday.
"It's always a surprise to see how they use our books, how teachers use it and how it can be used in this environment," he said.
"I got quite emotional in the quiet room, where they might talk about bereavement and stuff like that.
"They've got my artwork in there, of the mother wombat and the baby wombat … and the thought that my work could help people in that situation is just extraordinary."
The quiet room, used for the palliation of babies, is one of the most sensitive areas in the neonatal ward.
Assistant director of nursing for neonatology Kay Thomas said Mr Whatley's work was reassuring for families.
"We put a lot of thought into what illustrations would go in that room," she said.
"The room had quite a cold feeling to it before, but they've actually changed the feeling of that room."
For the families of the babies in intensive care, French said the illustrations would provide a welcome distraction.
"[The books] are all about chaos and joy and making noise and destroying things," she said.
"The kids may be here, but every time they look at those images they are escaping into this world of absolute chaos and naughtiness and joy."
"I think the wonderful things about art, or even a book, is that they are a friend in both joy and sadness."
French said the look on the mother wombat's face encapsulated a feeling she knew all too well as a mother.
She said the art of capturing such an emotive expression was a true credit to Mr Whatley.
"What has been done here is so much more than we ever created… they have actually become something which may have such a profound effect on so many children and so many families," French said.
"It's incredibly humbling and an incredible privilege."
