P Is for Pterodactyl explained

P Is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever
Author:	Raj Haldar Chris Carpenter
Illustrator:	Maria Tina Beddia
Country:	United States
Language:	English
Genre:	Alphabet book
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Pub Date:	November 13, 2018
Pages:	40
Isbn:	978-1-4926-7431-3
Preceded By:	N/A
Followed By:	No Reading Allowed

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]

Publication

The idea for P Is for Pterodactyl originally came in 2016.^[6] Following the release of his album Ritualize, 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] 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. 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. The post went viral and gained over 4,000 comments. 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] It remained in the top ten books on that list for 18 weeks.^[11]

Sequel

In 2020, the sequel, No Reading Allowed: The Worst Read-Aloud Book Ever, was released by Sourcebooks Explore.

External links

• P Is for Pterodactyl at Sourcebooks

Notes and References

1. Web site: This Week's Bestsellers: December 24, 2018. Publishers Weekly. Carolyn. Juris. December 21, 2018. March 11, 2019.
2. Web site: A children's book called 'P is for Pterodactyl' features the most bizarre words in the English language. Insider. Talia. Lakritz. November 23, 2018. March 11, 2019.
3. Web site: 'Worst' Alphabet Book Becomes Bestseller. Publishers Weekly. Shannon. Maughan. November 20, 2018. March 11, 2019.
4. Web site: Children's Picture Books. The New York Times. December 30, 2018. March 11, 2019.
5. Web site: Sourcebooks Launches Three Children's Imprints. Publishers Weekly. Claire. Kirch. January 15, 2019. March 11, 2019.
6. Web site: Philly rapper Lushlife's newest project is the worst alphabet book ever. Philly.com. Nick. Vadala. November 15, 2018. March 11, 2019.
7. Web site: P is for pterodactyl, T is for tsunami: the 'worst alphabet book' becomes a bestseller. The Guardian. Alison. Flood. December 3, 2018. March 11, 2019.
8. Web site: Meet Raj Haldar, the South Philly Rapper Who Co-Wrote a Delightfully Confusing Children's Book. Philadelphia. Patrick. Rapa. January 29, 2019. March 11, 2019.
9. Web site: Standout New Picture Books. The New York Times. Maria. Russo. October 19, 2018. March 11, 2019.
10. Web site: The Story Behind 'P Is For Pterodactyl,' The Self-Described 'Worst Alphabet Book Ever'. The New York Times. Tina. Jordan. January 25, 2019. March 11, 2019.
11. News: Children's Picture Books – Best Sellers – Books – May 5, 2019 – The New York Times . The New York Times . 24 March 2021.