Monster Alphabet Page 1

First spread from my as-yet-untitled Monstrous Alphabet book:

So what's this project about anyways?

I came up with the Monster Alphabet project last October. It’s a simple rhyming book pairing each letter of the alphabet with a creatures from folktales, legends and myths.

The inspiration comes from my own experience learning to read. As a kid I was drawn to books featuring the weird and funny and fantastic. My early "reading" material came from the illustrations in Calvin & Hobbes, Dr. Suess, Where the Wild Things Are, Little Critter, and others. Eventually I learned how to read the stories that went with the pictures.

That's the philosophy behind this book. I'm not making a reading primer, but I hope the pictures and characters might be a gateway for young kids grow their interest in reading. I had many classes in Early Childhood Education back in college, and it's amazing what a healthy enthusiasm for reading can do for a child. It's got to start somewhere!

This is my first structured writing and illustration project. I've always wanted to make books, and I hope this is a creative kickstart. I've got many more ideas I'd like to tackle in the future. Since I'm just starting I knew I needed to work on something simple, fun and systematic. My goal is to take this project to completion - which in this case means a finished book submitted for digital publishing. 

Expected release: Summer 2013. I'll update progress along the way.