A is for Musk Ox
Written by Erin Cabatingan • Roaring Brook Press, 2012.
A zebra would really like this to be a nice alphabet book. His musk ox friend? Not so much.
Making mischief
This book was a real puzzle. The Musk Ox makes every letter of the alphabet about him, which meant, for example, displacing a queen so that Musk Ox could rule the Q page. This of course, made it incredibly fun to illustrate, because of all the chaos.
Scroll down for early sketches from the book. Click on any image to enlarge it.
A two-page spread from A is for Musk Ox, showing how the alphabet book has been overrun by the musk ox.
A is for Apple is soooo Boring! • Oil on illustration board
W is for Musk Ox • Oil on illustration board
Come Back Here! • Oil on illustration board
H is for Musk Ox • Oil on illustration board
X is for Musk Ox • Oil on illustration board
Q is for Musk Ox • Oil on illustration board
S is for Musk Ox • Oil on illustration board
Sketch for Q is for Musk Ox.
Sketch for A is for Apple is soooo Boring!
First sketch for C is for Musk Ox. Compare it to the finished illustration, as seen in the first photo on this web page.
Composite sketch for two illustrations, H is for Musk Ox, and I is for musk Ox.