Tag Archives: simply read books

Eerie Dearies: 26 Ways to Miss School by Rebecca Chaperon (2014).

 

Curious why an ABC book is one for the older set? Because it’s dark. It’s creepy in the best way (think Edward Gorey). And it’s filled with wild excuses to miss school! All topics for a slightly older someone (or much older someone!).

 

It requires a brave reader such as yourself.

 

And even if one knows her ABCs, this book has lots of advanced concepts and words. You’ll see.

 

 

 

Take A for example. It’s for Astral Projection. Of course it is! Sorry teachers, but I’m having an out of body experience today.

(click image(s) to enlarge.)

 

B is for a broken heart. (See, this book is perfect for teenagers.)

There’s Dumbstruck, Ennui (my personal favorite), Gremlins, and Juvenile delinquent. And it ends with Z for zombie apocalypse. Not your average ABC, right? In fact, it’s inventive and strange and will appeal to any creative spirit.

 

Rebecca Chaperon‘s artistic style is sure to please as well: painterly and delicate and exquisite in every way. I love how she incorporated vintage books as backgrounds into the illustrations of quite vintage looking girls.

 

“While creating the images for the book I collected a great deal of old book covers looking for colours, textures and in some cases, titles, that would inspire the illustrations for Eerie Dearies. I scavenged second-hand shops examining the outer and inner covers of the books to find the right amount of ratty-ness, out-dated design and the general patina of age!”

                                                                   — RebeccaChaperon

 

 

“Perhaps my favourite reason for missing school was ‘Snow Day.’ As anyone who grew up with cold snowy winters will tell you: there are days when things just shut down. Buses, schools, teachers. In the morning, If the weather seemed bad, my parents would turn on the radio. My brother and I would sit at the kitchen table, silently eating cereal and listening with such concentration to the radio list of each school that would be closed for the day. And of course if we heard them say our school we would absolutely freak out with happiness and then spend the day playing in the snow!”

                                                — RebeccaChaperon

 

 

 

Thanks to Rebecca Chaperon for images!  

 

 

See more of her artwork from the book in her shop. And her other original art. Another bonus: she’s got special edition versions of the book that come signed and with stickers on her website!!

 

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Simply Read Books generously provided one copy of Eerie Dearies for one lucky reader! And Rebecca Chaperon, because she’s so great, threw in some artwork as well. And she’s packaged it up with all the class and artistry you’d expect!

 

The grand prize winner will receive the book, Eerie Drearies and two prints 

&

two winners will receive two prints by Rebecca Chaperon!

Three winners in all!

 

Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

1.) Sign up for Rebecca Chaperon’s newsletter here.

2.) Sign up for This Picture Book Life‘s new and improved newsletter here.

3.) Leave a comment on this post with a way you once missed a day of school.

 

 I’ll contact the randomly chosen winners by email for your mailing addresses!

(Enter until Wednesday, June 25 at midnight; open to North American residents only—sorry about that, far flung international readers!)