The Alphabet of Unloved Beasts

In an old house, you'll find spiders, mice, and dust. But in the oldest houses you'll find things far worse than bugs. A house that's lived enough years will gather in its eaves a crew of several monstrous things that settle and won't leave.

They moan and scratch and knock the walls. They rattle in the drains. When little humans shake with fear, they think, "Well, that was a very fun game!" For monstrous beasts love nothing more than a good old-fashioned fright. They love to play with their beloved friends in the darkest hours of night.

But as houses get older, their children do, too. And that creatures don't like in the least. Because the older kids get the less they believe in their moaning, groaning feats. And soon all those creatures are simply left in a household of unloved beasts.

Playful, alliterative text that highlights one monstrous ghoul for each letter of the alphabet takes readers through the corners and crannies of an old house peopled with sad and unwanted monsters lamenting the loss of their playmates. Until one of them realizes there are more ways than one to have their fearful fun.

Kelly Ward is a writer and children's book editor. Her fiction, poetry, and journalism have appeared in various publications across Canada. Her short fiction has won the Lush Triumphant Award for Fiction and appeared in The Journey Prize Stories: The Best of Canada's New Writers. She is the author of one collection of short stories, Keep it Beautiful, and the Yikes! series of board books. She lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Jazmine Gubbe is an illustrator from Ontario currently working in the animation industry. When she is not painting she is hiking, exploring nature, and learning the mysterious local history.

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