A is for Zebra helps kiddos work on their vowel sounds while providing an esoteric, slightly cheeky, and fascinating review of 20th century culture. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
A is for Zebra helps kiddos work on their vowel sounds while providing an esoteric, slightly cheeky, and fascinating review of 20th century culture.
The book grew out of a decades long collaboration between designer Sean Tejaratchi and publisher Chloe Eudaly Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
The book grew out of a decades long collaboration between designer Sean Tejaratchi and publisher Chloe Eudaly
Terjaratchi favored images with an alliterative appeal, for instance the image of the men fighting could represent fight, fat, fear, frail, and fist. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
Terjaratchi favored images with an alliterative appeal, for instance the image of the men fighting could represent fight, fat, fear, frail, and fist.
A sled full of Shriners combines lessons in alliteration with a primer in mid-century fraternal organizations. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
A sled full of Shriners combines lessons in alliteration with a primer in mid-century fraternal organizations.
The book covers some touch subject, like using obsessive compulsive disorder to illustrate the letter "O" Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
The book covers some touch subject, like using obsessive compulsive disorder to illustrate the letter "O"
A is for Zebra is eclectic, but scientifically accurate. When an early illustration of a Jellyfish was found to belong to a different subphylum, Tejaratchi searched for a suitable replacement. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
A is for Zebra is eclectic, but scientifically accurate. When an early illustration of a Jellyfish was found to belong to a different subphylum, Tejaratchi searched for a suitable replacement.
"There are plenty of words that begin with X, but of that set, there are far fewer that are illustrated in even the most rudimentary way," says artist Tejaratchi. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
"There are plenty of words that begin with X, but of that set, there are far fewer that are illustrated in even the most rudimentary way," says artist Tejaratchi.
"N" is for hypodermic needle lets parents know they walked far afield of Sesame Street. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
"N" is for hypodermic needle lets parents know they walked far afield of Sesame Street.
While some might fing the content risqué Tejaratchi thinks it has been handled carefully. "It's a big, scary world out there, but I think children can handle complex ideas, including smoking or hypodermic needles," he says. "And acknowledging a thing's existence is not the same as endorsing it." Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
While some might fing the content risqué Tejaratchi thinks it has been handled carefully. "It's a big, scary world out there, but I think children can handle complex ideas, including smoking or hypodermic needles," he says. "And acknowledging a thing's existence is not the same as endorsing it."
All 26 letters of the alphabet are available on Kickstarter and would make ideal decor for a dive bar, tattoo parlor, or the nursery of a hipster in training. Sean Tejaratchi/Chloe Eudaly
Alphabet books are an important tool for early childhood development, but tremendously dull for parents. “A” is for “Apple”? How original. “C” is for “Cat” is far from Caldecott material. Thankfully, a new entry in the ABC canon, A is for Zebra , illustrates the alphabet with a far more engaging set of words from “artificial respiration” to “Zoroastrian.”
Designed by Sean Tejaratchi and published by Chloe Eudaly, A is for Zebra helps kiddos work on letters while providing an esoteric, slightly cheeky, and fascinating review of 20th century culture. For instance, “F” is illustrated with standbys like fish and flag, as well as a fax machine, Frankenstein’s monster, and a picture of a fat man threatening to punch a frailer foe. “Fight, fat, fear, frail, and fist all in one image,” says Tejaratchi. The illustration for “S” also takes advantage of alliteration, depicting a sled full of shriners. “O” has standard illustrations like owl and oxen, but also obsessive compulsive disorder—complete with an illustration of a woman assiduously washing her hands.
Tejaratchi has an open mind paired with a fanatical respect for accuracy. A previous version of the print for the letter “J” used a Portuguese Man-of-War to illustrate the word jellyfish. An eagle-eyed admirer mentioned that the subject is a symbiotic colony of tiny creatures, not a real member of the Medusozoa subphylum, so he updated the image to feature a scientifically accurate example.
“X” is a perennially challenging letter in alphabet books and even with an outré assortment of concepts at his disposal, Tejaratchi still fell back on standards like xylophones and x-rays. “There are plenty of words that begin with X, but of that set, there are far fewer that are illustrated in even the most rudimentary way,” he says. Xeriscape, which is a low-moisture habitat, and xylene, an aromatic hydrocarbon, were options, but aren’t immediately recognizable. “I could have shown a patch of land with a cactus, but all that’s going to do is mislead everyone into working out which “X” word describes a saguaro cactus,” says Tejaratchi. “And the number of people who could identify xylene by sight is pretty small.”
Another “X” word highlights the commercial challenges of combining adult topics in a format focused on kids. “X-rated,” illustrated with an image of people watching a film of a burlesque dancer was cut when Tejaratchi imagined parents wincing. Other touchy subjects, like hypodermic needles used by IV drug users and people with diabetes alike, stayed in, as did ashtrays. “It’s a big, scary world out there, but I think children can handle complex ideas, including smoking or hypodermic needles,” he says. “And acknowledging a thing’s existence is not the same as endorsing it.”
Eudaly echoes Terjaratchi’s perspective. “I’m a pretty permissive parent when it comes to what my kid is interested in,” she says. “I appreciate subversive content in kid’s book, but as a bookseller I err on the side of caution when it comes to what I expose other people’s kids too.” Not out a fear of harm, mind you, rather because she doesn’t want to deal with complaints from uptight parents.
All 26 letters of the alphabet are available on Kickstarter and would make ideal decor for a dive bar, tattoo parlor, or the nursery of a hipster in training.
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