The Aussie Alphabet Anthology
I am currently developing my newest project, The Aussie Alphabet Anthology—a distinctly Australian alphabet book designed to delight young readers and the adults who read with them. The idea first came to me when my children were toddlers and I was reading alphabet books aloud at nap time and bedtime. At the time, the available options felt limited from an Australian perspective, and I began imagining a book that would reflect our own language, landscape, and culture. More recently, I have expanded that original concept into a poetry-based format, bringing together my love of children’s literature and my experience as a high school English teacher in Western Australia. The anthology features a variety of poetic forms, including limericks, haiku, quatrains, onomatopoeia poems, word cinquains, syllable cinquains, and acrostics, creating a playful and engaging reading experience for children while introducing them to the richness of poetry.
Another exciting aspect of this project is that I am creating the illustrations myself. After investing significantly in illustration for my Gregory series, I decided that this book was the perfect opportunity to take a more personal creative approach. Art has long been a hobby of mine, and The Aussie Alphabet Anthology marks the first time I have stepped forward as both writer and illustrator. While I may not be aiming for masterpiece status, the response from friends who have seen the work so far has been incredibly encouraging. By illustrating the book myself, I am not only managing production costs more effectively, but also ensuring complete creative and copyright ownership of the final product. The artwork is being created with colouring pencils and black fine liner pens, giving the book a hand-crafted, authentic feel that complements its warm Australian character.
This week, while taking some time away from work to recover, I have been able to focus more closely on completing the remaining poems and progressing the illustrations. It has been a valuable opportunity to move the project forward, and I am excited to continue bringing The Aussie Alphabet Anthology to life.
Regards
Denise Guymer