A new genre of children's books is emerging. Humor, irreverence and "edginess" are bringing the children's book format to a wider audience. In the spirit of Lane Smith, Dr. Seuss, J. Otto Seibold, Edward Gorey and Maurice Sendak, this course will focus on creating atypical children's books that are not necessarily for children. Taking a cue from illustrators who push the envelope, students will work to develop unique voices of their own. Using original or borrowed texts, students will design and illustrate fulllength book projects, as well as create book proposals suitable for presentation to publishers. This course will focus on coherent, visually engaging storytelling and the more practical aspects of children's book publishing, such as portfolios and contracts.