Kickstarter

A Tenrec Named Trey

(And other odd lettered animals that like to play)

The book is an anthology of eight animal stories, ranging from 250-400 words per story. The book is a soft cover, 8.5 x 11 (52 page booklet), full color, bleeds to the edges, saddle stitched. Interior printed on 80lb paper. 

A is for anteater. Got it. B is for bear, bee and beaver. It has been done. I have always thought that the second half of the alphabet has been underrepresented. For the past 2 years I have been writing these stories highlighting some of the odd letters in the alphabet along with some unique, but real, animals.

I have been in the professional zoological field for five years. When the second half of the year comes around I have heard teachers comment on how it is difficult to find something surprising to read to their students and at the same time relatable.

Below is each of the stories main characters with a synopsis and excerpt.  I hope you enjoy!

Q - Velma Quinn the Valley Quail

Sitting on a tree or sometimes a fence post

An unpopular bird lives on the coast

Her name is Velma Quinn the Valley Quail

Sometimes she hides in the small box of mail

She has a giant feather on top of her head

Looks like she woke up on the wrong side of bed

T - Trey the Tenrec

If you try to play, you will chase him away

So we must be silent and barely sway

When frightened he curls up in a tight bumpy round ball

The best thing to do is pretend you’re a plain white wall

He is a tenrec and his name is Trey

He is prickly and cute and mostly grey

His home is warm Madagascar on the forest floor

He lives in a pile of dirt and leaves and has no door

Right before darkness is when he comes out

He looks kind of funny with a big snout

But everyone has a grand purpose what could his be?

I bet it doesn’t have to do with watching TV!

U - Uberto the Umbrella Cockatoo

“Clean up your room

that is your task

for when we are away,

we can then relax”

Uberto did not like

cleaning his bedroom

it was very dirty

smelling not like perfume

…

To make it go quicker

Uberto turned it into a game

Everything he would pick up

would have a U name

V - Ella the Vulture

Having an imagination is fun

Especially when you can do it in the sun

It doesn’t even cost a single penny

So who cares if you have few or many?

Ella the vulture was a young bird

Playing is what she preferred

She didn’t have a single T.V. station

So she used her own imagination

W - Wade the Water Dragon                

So many things to hear

Wade focuses on one sound

What did he overhear?

It was a basset hound

So many things to smell

Wade breaths in really deep

It doesn’t smell that well

Yuck, it’s wild wet sheep

…

So many things to touch

Be careful of the germs

Wade enjoys very much

feeling the gooey worms

T - Tish the X-ray Fish

Although they seem fake

X-ray fish are real

Something so bizarre

Yet, they’re the real deal

…

Tish the X-ray fish

Was a young small fry

About two inches long

And boy did she lie

She wasn’t friendly

Actually quite mean

She had a temper

And thought she was queen

Y - Yago the Yellow Banded Poison Dart Frog

On the other side of the leaf

his waste affects the coral reef

So he turns his trash into treasure

which gives him great pleasure

…

If Yago didn’t reuse his waste

many items would get misplaced

and then the pile would get so high

it would grow and grow and touch the sky

Z - Zach and Zoe the Zebu

Zach and Zoe were born in India near a pond
when they first saw their parents, they did bond
“Go on mom and dad, we’ll follow you
to learn all the things that zebu do”

They learned a lot from their parent zebus
But the time had come for their own debuts,
So off to zebu preschool they went
It was to be an exciting event

Right now all 8 stories are written and will be illustrated once this kickstarter reaches it goal. The 45+ illustrations will take some time, and the book will be sent out early to mid Feb 2013.

Chris Padovano – Is a freelance illustrator who draws the old fashioned way; with a pencil and pen. He has illustrated more than 25 children’s books for authors all over the world.

Here is a sample of his previous work: