(Posted May 26, 2016)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Dr. Gregg Alexander, a London pediatrician, has written a children’s book. The title alone is enough to make children and adults alike giggle.
“Monsters Don’t Fart” is Alexander’s first foray into book writing. Inspiration struck at a family gathering when, out of nowhere, one of the youngsters in the clan made the declaration.
“Bells just went off in my head. I came home and it just wrote itself,” said Alexander, who writes under the pen name, Dr. H.G. Hackenbush.
The youngster’s mother, Jennifer Louis, is a watercolor artist and early childhood teacher living in Connecticut. She created the book’s illustrations.
“We worked together over Skype and would have these intensely serious conversations about farting. We’d crack ourselves up at times, realizing what we had just said,” Alexander related.
The publishing experience was a first for Alexander and Louis. They chose to self-publish and, as such, worked on all facets of the project, writing to design.
“It has been a labor of love,” Alexander said. “It was an idea that started out for family, and we followed it through. Jennifer said she wanted to show her kids that if you set your mind to something, you can do it.”
The duo is working on a sequel, as well as an electronic version of “Monsters Don’t Fart,” complete with sound effects.
The book is available for purchase online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble, as well as at Alexander’s office, 55 Park Ave., Suite 210, London.
Copies also will be available for purchase at a free community event Alexander is hosting on June 4 at the London State Theater, 67 S. Main St. As a supporter of last year’s fund drive to help reopen the theater, Alexander received a one-time use of the theater for a party. He decided to go with a monster theme and open the event to the public.
The fun starts at 10 a.m. The theater will show two kid-friendly monster movies, a 44-minute film geared to younger kids and a 90-minute film geared to older kids. Free popcorn, monsterhead suckers, Groucho Marx-inspired glasses, and other goodies will be given out. Door prizes include educational tablets, games, toys, merchant gift cards, a Mickey Mouse picnic set and more. Those who attend can get their picture taken with monsters in a special photobooth.
Go to www.monstersdontfart.com for a preview of the book.
