Ardvark The Aardvark - Book One v0.5
I've completed the rough draft of the story for Ardvark the Aardvark With the Back Leg Named Bumpus - Book One. I'd welcome revisions, edits, and new stories or drawings from anyone that wants to take a crack at it!
I'll be getting a wiki set up to facilitate content creation, but for now, send submissions to "Ardvark" here at GlitchNYC.com.
As I wrote, a few themes began to emerge, and I think they're good places to start for anyone who wants to contribute.
- The book should be fun. First and foremost, it should be an interesting, whimsical, and even eccentric read.
- The book should be fun to read aloud, both for kids and parents.
- Onomatopoeia, new words, and new concepts make books fun to share and talk about
- The book should be educational
- This doesn't mean it has to be stodgy or include anything quite so obvious as the classroom scene in book one. Instead, education and exploration should be intrinsic part of the book. To quote Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire, "don't talk down to kids, just talk to them." Leave long words in, include advanced concepts of math, physics, astronomy, music, whatever - education begins with curiosity!
(Download the story as a .doc with some of the character designs embedded)
Ardvark was an aardvark who lived, as most aardvarks do, in the lush forests, great fields, and dry savanna of Kenya. Each day he would play in the dirt, happily romping from anthill to anthill in search of friends to play with and food to eat. Most days he found no friends, but kept himself company by having conversations with his back-left leg, which he had named Bumpus, for no good reason at all.
