 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Hangry Annie
Written and Illustrated By Alexa Ashton
Hangry Annie is small book with big emotions and even bigger hair. It is a comical, cautionary tale that explores an issue every kid will face at some point during their formative years - HANGER!
The reader follows Annie to school, only to discover she has forgotten her lunch, which fires up a metamorphosis, and to the horror of her gobsmacked classroom, Annie is transformed into a sparking, spitting, burping, farting creature: HANGRY ANNIE!
Find out what happens when her hanger subsides, and Annie explores different ways to deal with the hangry creature residing inside her. Supported by an understanding friend and a loving mummy, they take steps to grow resilience in hanger, and find ways to prevent hanger emergencies in the future.
​
I wrote the first iteration of Hangry Annie in my 20's whilst working as an Au Pair for a little 4 year old boy named Charlie. Over 10 years ago now, I revisited it when my children reminded me of the importance of the real life feelings of panic that can occur when one has low blood sugar! This was definitely something I encountered as a student. It is something I still struggle with to this day - my husband can attest to it!
In a world where 'one size fits all' is the the easiest sell, I am an advocate for showing children the remarkable differences between us, and while celebrating them, also discussing ways to deal with these gifts in a world designed for appropriate non complicated avatars.
​
To create Hangry Annie, I drew on my eclectic artistic education using traditional watercolour painting, colour pencil, sculptural collage and even hair laying techniques from my years as a makeup artist. When happy with the practical result I photograph the pieces and upload the images into procreate where I add digital elements.
In this way I treated her hair a character of its own, and as the story progresses so does her hair, through the agonies and the ecstasies of Hanger and the relief of Satiation.
I wanted the book to have a tangible quality, inspired by the work of Jeannie Baker.
I can't wait to continue exploring these techniques and further develop the infinite possibilities.
THE PROCESS