Zippi The Zebra

Zippi The Zebra is a non-conventional children’s book in that it doesn’t follow the “rules” of historical children’s book publishing.  Typical children’s books are divided into age groups and have standardized formats that are strictly adhered to.  Prior to the books creation, the author had been volunteering with the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council to help adults learn to read or to improve their reading skills.  The book was designed to gradually increase reading levels as the story progresses.   The goal was to appeal to children of all ages and to adults as well.  It uses alliteration, word repetition, varied sentence structure and dialogue to accomplish this.  The illustrations are all originally done by hand and purposefully created in varied artistic mediums to develop a “vintage” feel.  The story is one of friendship, determination and hope that will appeal to all.