Overview

Animals Alphabet Soup is an educational children's book about carefully chosen animals from all around the world. Some creatures are close to the author's heart, and other animals are chosen alphabetically and because of their interest to the illustrator/author. The linear style of drawing is one developed by Possum Doss to create form by use of line and color, incorporating a broad palette unified throughout Animals Alphabet Soup by use of black drawing paper for each of the 26 hand-drawn illustrations. Each of these is accompanied by an educational rhyme to describe the animals and their habits, physical appearance, habitats, diets, and other characteristics. Animals Alphabet Soup also includes a short story of the origin of the title and why Soup is used. Additionally there's a project (a family soup recipe) for kids and the people they love to enjoy together.

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9781649219770

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Possum Doss was born Lee Alan Doss on February 23, 1965, the last child of four for James Robert (Bob) and Betty Doss. He grew up in the small town of Trussville, AL, on the northeast outskirts of Birmingham, drawing and making things like clothes for teddy bears when as young as five years old. Lee attended Hewitt Trussville elementary, junior and high schools where he excelled at art. Moving on to high school, Lee decided to use his middle name, Alan, and continued studying both fine and language arts. After graduating in 1984, he attended nearby Jefferson State Junior College for three semesters, beginning work toward a major in fine arts, but soon joined the newly formed culinary arts program and secured a paid apprenticeship cooking. He ultimately decided he could learn more under that arrangement than in formal college classes, and went on to apprentice in many professional kitchens around Birmingham. Still Alan Doss, in 1989 he opened a funky furniture and accessories gallery called Globe in Birmingham, reimagining and restoring mid-century modern pieces picked from thrift stores, yard sales, and other resources. The retail business existed a couple of years, and afterward he went back into the food service industry. He remained Alan until a friend's nickname for him stuck so securely that he legally made Possum part of his name in 1992. After a fun year living in NYC, he returned to Birmingham. While in New York, Possum had rediscovered the art of crocheting taught to him by his godmother during his early teen years, and began creating innovative hats and masks, crocheting in some fantastic forms. In 1997 he accepted a position as retail make-up artist with MAC Cosmetics for six years, a very inspiring time period. The makeup (and especially nail polishes) became new art supplies for Possum, and he began creating intricate paintings in this unusual medium. After his time in retail he moved back into food service for a period. A lifelong artist, Possum uses a variety of mediums and creates in many different styles of work, including painting, sculpture, fiber art, assemblage, drawing and crochet. Apart from those early high school and college art courses, his skills are developed intrinsically. Very often children's type art supplies such as pipe cleaners (chenille stems), crayons, construction or colored paper, and nail polish excite his creativity and inspire, but he also uses more traditional acrylic paints and watercolors. Across the span of several decades he has made, exhibited and sold his art throughout the southeast, and with the spread of the internet his reach has expanded from Birmingham to Europe, Asia and all over the U.S. By 2008 his stepfather had developed Alzheimer's, and he moved back to his family home to care for him. There, he kept creating art and expanding his imagination. Possum continues to live in his family home in Trussville, as caregiver for his mom, and being a visual artist, hatter, budding writer, and making art of all kinds. Animals Alphabet Soup is his first published book.

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