P Is for Pterodactyl

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever is a children's picture book written by Raj Haldar and Chris Carpenter and illustrated by Maria Tina Beddia.[1] It showcases "English words with silent letters and bizarre spellings."[2] The book was published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky on November 13, 2018.[3] It peaked at number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category for children's picture books.[4] It has sold more than 210,000 copies.[5]

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever
AuthorRaj Haldar
Chris Carpenter
IllustratorMaria Tina Beddia
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreAlphabet book
PublisherSourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication date
November 13, 2018
Pages40
ISBN978-1-4926-7431-3

Publication

The idea for P Is for Pterodactyl originally came in 2016.[6] Following the release of his album Ritualize, a rapper Raj Haldar, whose stage name is Lushlife, celebrated with his friends.[6] A friend's child brought some alphabet flash cards with him.[7] Haldar and his friend Chris Carpenter, a software engineer, came up with the idea for the alphabet book.[6] An artist Maria Tina Beddia joined the project at the recommendation of another mutual friend.[6] Before the book found a publisher, there were a handful of rejections.[8] Eventually, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky picked up the book.[6] The book was published on November 13, 2018.[3]

Reception

The book was included on The New York Times' "Standout New Picture Books" list on October 19, 2018.[9] Maria Russo wrote: "You can curse the English language for its insane spelling rules (or lack thereof), or you can delight in it, as this raucous trip through the odd corners of our alphabet does."[9]

On November 6, 2018, a week before the book was published, a children's book website Imagination Soup praised the book on a Facebook post.[10] The post went viral and gained over 4,000 comments.[10] The book sold out of its first print run of 10,800 copies the day it was published.[10]

On December 30, 2018, the book reached number 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list in the category for children's picture books.[4]

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References
  1. Juris, Carolyn (December 21, 2018). "This Week's Bestsellers: December 24, 2018". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  2. Lakritz, Talia (November 23, 2018). "A children's book called 'P is for Pterodactyl' features the most bizarre words in the English language". Insider. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  3. Maughan, Shannon (November 20, 2018). "'Worst' Alphabet Book Becomes Bestseller". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  4. "Children's Picture Books". The New York Times. December 30, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  5. Kirch, Claire (January 15, 2019). "Sourcebooks Launches Three Children's Imprints". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  6. Vadala, Nick (November 15, 2018). "Philly rapper Lushlife's newest project is the worst alphabet book ever". Philly.com. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  7. Flood, Alison (December 3, 2018). "P is for pterodactyl, T is for tsunami: the 'worst alphabet book' becomes a bestseller". The Guardian. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  8. Rapa, Patrick (January 29, 2019). "Meet Raj Haldar, the South Philly Rapper Who Co-Wrote a Delightfully Confusing Children's Book". Philadelphia. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  9. Russo, Maria (October 19, 2018). "Standout New Picture Books". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
  10. Jordan, Tina (January 25, 2019). "The Story Behind 'P Is For Pterodactyl,' The Self-Described 'Worst Alphabet Book Ever'". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
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