Every ten years or so, I like to post pictures of the alphabet mural-runner-thingy I’m painting on the walls of Caitlin’s room. It’s been slow going lately, with the holidays and the book tour and whatnot, but the pictures don’t lie: I’m now nearly halfway done! (Click for larger images.)

I’m not quite as happy with this batch as with the last ones, particularly the Iron Giant. I decided I liked Dirk Zimmer’s illustrations for Ted Hughes’s book better than Andrew Davidson’s, but let’s face it: nobody’s even seen either of them. If you know the Iron Giant at all, you know it from Brad Bird’s movie. (If everyone has a giant robot, nobody does!) But I couldn’t think of a better “I” so I was stuck with it. And the linework is too thick on Lowly Worm. The wall is so textured that my first attempt at thin lines looked more like late Charles Schulz than late Richard Scarry, but now I regret fattening them up. And as for James and the Giant Peach–well, I grew up on the Nancy Ekholm Burkert illustrations and never really got used to Quentin Blake. Oh well.

That said, there are a few things here I like. I like the slight trompe l’oeil effect of the Golden Snitch on the ceiling. I like that the linework on Kanga actually looks someone blew up Ernest Shepard’s scratchy pen really big. (I had way too much experience here.) Mostly I like being five letters closer to the zebra at the end of the tunnel.

Speaking of Lowly Worm, what is up with that guy? Whether he’s in his iconic apple car or this snazzy convertible, how is a worm with no arms and no legs a licensed driver? Even in Busytown, where all the cars look like wigwams or giant cream pies or something, Lowly seems like he’d be a menace. For one thing, isn’t he a little kid? (If he’s an adult, the fact that he’s already hanging around Huckle seems a little creepy.) How does his whole lower half cram into that little tiny car? And how does he steer? He only has one foot, with a giant shoe, so I guess that apple car is an automatic. If I were Officer Murphy, I’d throw him and his jaunty Tyrolean cap straight into Busytown Jail. And that goes for you too, Wild Bill Hiccup and Mr. Frumble. Busytown may have adorable chalet-style buildings, but it’s time to crack down on its lawless citizenry.