The Cursive Lettered Snake

This is the second picture book I created at 16 years old. The process of making picture books is something that makes me feel extremely happy and elated—it fascinates me. Unlike novels, picture books are infused with both literature and art which allows my creativity to burst into both realms. I can satisfy my passion for writing and feel the joy of illustrating at the same time. I sincerely appreciate the guidance my mentor Mr. Mark Harris has provided me with. Without him I wouldn’t have discovered my passion and talent in art.

These pieces implement the use of a cartoon animal to help children develop an interest in writing cursive. I hope this book can play a role in helping them discover the fun in learning. Whether it’s those who have just started learning cursive or those who do not know cursive at all, this book will be beneficial.

I decided to express the letters in the form of animals since they are more lively and interesting for children to look at. The reason why I chose to base the book on a snake, rather than any other animal is because of the snake’s shape. Though there are some other limbless animals similar to the snake, like earthworms, snakes have appeared more in fairy tales so children should be more familiar with them.

When creating the appearance of the cartoon figure, I needed to make sure that it looked both like a snake and a cursive letter. Despite having practiced cursive for numerous years, the process was challenging. Some letters like “i” and “x” have lines in which they are separated and are not easily arranged by the snake’s body. This created some complexity for me, but after experimenting with different methods, I decided to use branches and leaves to supplement the incomplete shapes. Sure enough, the results were ideal. I ultimately chose green for the snake because the color of nature creates a more lively and harmonious vibe for the book

I hope that the green snake can be the children’s first stepping stone into taking interest in cursive. May this book guide you on the learning journey with cursive.