During my trip to the NYC ComicCon last year
at the Jacob Javits Center, I was able to browse through a couple of works by
illustrators and local artists. I’m a big fan of art books and art prints, and
I spied this cute children’s alphabet book (The Wonderland Alphabet) by Alethea
Kontis (Author) and Janet K. Lee. (Illustrator and fellow Etsian) The
typography immediately caught my attention, so I picked up a copy and began
reading.
I also got Janet K. Lee’s signature, which
to me is reminiscent of those Japanese signature stamps found on ink drawings (aside from the smiling kitty, happy day).
It’s a neat find! A very special treasure I
think any kid would appreciate. The rhyming scheme of the story intermingles well
with the playfulness of Lee’s color choices. She’s not afraid to let the text
play on the page.
My favorite page is the letter I, just
because the word ‘tall’ becomes more than a word here; it’s an interactive
element and does wonderful things when you pronounce it. I feel like I want to
raise my voice higher and higher when my eyes follow the long legs of those l’s!
You can find prints of
Janet K. Lee’s illustration here.
-Piki
